WASHINGTON, D.C. — 

U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement after Senate Democrats blocked the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act:    

“Today members of the Senate from both sides of the aisle had an opportunity to protect unborn children who have reached the age of 20 weeks – five months of pregnancy – and who are capable of feeling and responding to pain. Unfortunately, this legislation failed because of the typical partisan politics Americans have sadly come to expect on important issues like this one,” said Thune. “A society is measured by how it treats its weakest and most vulnerable members. We have been failing some of ours. Today, a nation known for protecting fundamental human rights missed a critical opportunity to show that we can do better for those who cannot protect themselves.”