Central Montana Times

Ahead of the 52nd Annual March for Life, U.S. Senator Steve Daines has introduced two bills focused on pro-life issues. The first bill, titled the "Protecting Individuals with Down Syndrome Act," aims to prohibit doctors from performing abortions if the reason is a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. This legislation also seeks to prevent anyone from coercing a mother into having an abortion due to such a diagnosis.

Senator Daines expressed his intentions behind the bills: “This year, as we celebrate the 52nd anniversary of the annual March for Life, I’m proud to introduce legislation that will protect the most vulnerable in our society: our unborn children. The radical left has been trying to push an extreme abortion agenda that the American people have resoundingly rejected, and I’m optimistic that our society will once again return to a culture of life that puts family first.”

The second piece of legislation is known as the "Protecting Life on College Campus Act." It seeks to restrict federal funding for colleges and universities that provide access to chemical abortion pills or surgical abortions through campus health clinics. This bill comes in response to legislative changes in California, which require public college campuses to offer chemical abortion pills starting in 2023.

Several senators joined Daines in introducing these bills, including James Lankford (R-Okla.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), John Boozman (Ark.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.).

The introduction of these bills highlights ongoing debates around abortion rights and regulations within the United States.