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WASHINGTON -- Republican members of the House and Senate introduced a bill on Tuesday that would ban abortion nationwide after 15 weeks' gestation.

"Working closely with the preeminent pro-life groups in the country, we are today introducing legislation to ban abortion at a time when unborn children can feel pain," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the bill's chief sponsor in the Senate, . "Our legislation, which bans abortion after 15 weeks gestation, will put the United States abortion policy in line with other developed nations such as France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, and other European nations."

, known as the Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act, would bar doctors from performing abortions after 15 weeks' gestation except in situations involving rape, incest, or risks to the life and physical health of the mother. The bill, also introduced in the House by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), would leave in place state laws with stricter abortion bans.

"After Roe v. Wade was overturned, Democrats in Congress have rallied behind pro-choice legislation which allows abortion right up until the moment of birth," he added. "I view the Democrat proposal as radical and one that Americans will ultimately reject. Our legislation is a responsible alternative as we provide exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and life and physical health of the mother."

Graham was referring to legislation such as the -- passed by the House in July -- which would make abortion legal nationwide. The bill, which failed in the Senate by a vote of 49-51, would have created "a federal right for patients to receive and providers to provide abortion care, ensuring every American -- regardless of where they live -- can make decisions about their own lives and bodies," Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), the bill's lead sponsor, when the measure was passed in the House.

This is not the first time Graham has introduced a bill to ban abortions; he in January 2021 that would ban abortions after 20 weeks' gestation, noting in a press release that he had introduced abortion ban bills in the last four congresses. But this bill comes at a critical time as midterm elections are less than 2 months away, and as various states have enacted their own abortion bans in the wake of the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe.

Reaction to the bill was swift. "This once-hypothetical nightmare is now here," Jenny Lawson, executive director of the pro-abortion rights group Planned Parenthood Votes, said in a statement. "Who we elect this November will determine our right to an abortion and whether the Congress can pass a nationwide abortion ban ... They only need one more vote in the Senate to control the majority and bring this bill to the floor. They must be held to account."

The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), an anti-abortion rights group, praised the measure. "We commend pro-life Senator Lindsey Graham and pro-life Congressman Chris Smith for their untiring efforts and dedication on behalf of unborn children and their mothers," NRLC president Carol Tobias , adding that the measure "would prevent cruel and painful abortions from being performed on innocent children."

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