House Republicans are calling on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to hold a vote on legislation banning abortion after 20 weeks.
More than 100 House members urged Reid to bring up the bill from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in a letter Monday.
{mosads}Graham is facing a primary election next week and has touted his anti-abortion measure as a way to distinguish himself from six challengers.
Republican lawmakers argued Graham’s bill deserves a vote to mark the anniversary of Kermit Gosnell’s conviction on murder charges stemming from three botched abortions.
Gosnell, now serving multiple life sentences, was a Philadelphia doctor whose case has become a rallying cry for abortion-rights opponents.
“Abortion hurts women and kills their children, and nowhere is this more evident than in the Gosnell case,” the House Republicans lawmakers wrote.
“Had Gosnell decapitated these babies while still in utero, only moments earlier, he would have, in many places nationwide, been performing an entirely legal procedure. … If America truly understands that horrifying reality, hearts and laws will change.”
The letter was spearheaded by Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), who authored a similar 20-week ban that passed the House last June.
The effort is unlikely to spur action in the Senate.