Democrats in the U.S. senate blocked a bill that would prevent late-term abortions on Tuesday.
The Republican bill, which was approved by the House back in May, would have banned abortions at 20 weeks or more.
According to Newsweek Senators voted 54-42 to advance the legislation which fell short of the 60 votes needed to move ahead with the bill.
Doctors performing abortions 20 weeks or more into a woman’s pregnancy would have faced criminal penalties up to five-years in prison if the bill passed.
Abortion has been a hot button issue in the public sphere and in Washington since the release of Planned Parenthood videos that claim the organization was selling fetal tissue for profit. As a result, the House has also passed legislation to defund Planned Parenthood but it is anticipated Democrats will block that measure as well.
A report by US News & World Report states that there was disagreement over when fetuses begin to feel pain. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made claims that fetuses can feel pain at 20-weeks while Democrats contested that claim noting that the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said fetal pain is unlikely until the third trimester.
The result came as no surprise as Republicans hold 54 senate seats and the parties are deeply divided over the issue.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention only about one percent of abortions involve pregnancies of 20-weeks or more.
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