Why the Republicans' other (House) proposed national abortion ban matters

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House Republicans' national abortion ban bill has garnered less attention, but far more support than its Senate counterpart. (via @MaddowBlog)

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Why the Republicans’ other proposed national abortion ban matters
In the Senate, GOP leaders don't want to publicly endorse a national abortion ban. In the House, it's a different story.
6:04 PM · Sep 15, 2022

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/republicans-proposed-national-abortion-ban-matters-rcna47907

Sen. Lindsey Graham probably thought he was doing something clever this week when he unveiled a proposal for a national abortion ban. His Republican colleagues didn’t quite see it that way: Senate GOP leaders were not pleased to see the South Carolinian bolster Democratic arguments about one of the Republican Party’s biggest vulnerabilities eight weeks before Election Day.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said his members aren’t on board with Graham’s approach; Republican Sen. John Cornyn emphasized that the Senate GOP conference wasn’t involved with crafting the legislation; and Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito added, in reference to Graham, “I’m not sure what he’s thinking here.”

But let’s not overlook what happened on the other side of Capitol Hill. Axios noted yesterday:

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) dredged up the abortion conversation for Republicans on Tuesday by introducing the 15-week ban, despite saying as recently as last month that the issue should be left to the states. A group of 88 House members, led by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and other co-chairs of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, introduced a companion bill.

It generated less attention, but as Graham unveiled his bill, New Jersey’s Chris Smith did the same thing in the House. It appears to be the same bill, with the same name, pursuing the same goal: a federal 15-week ban.

*snip*