2017: Fitzpatrick Effectively Voted Against Allowing An Exception For
The Health Of The Mother From A 20-Week Abortion Ban. In October 2017,
Fitzpatrick effectively voted against an amendment that would have,
according to Congressional Quarterly, "add[ed] an exception to the
20-week abortion ban for abortions necessary to save the health of the
pregnant woman." The underlying legislation was a 20-week abortion ban.
The House rejected the motion to recommit by a vote of 187 to 238.
[House Vote 548,
10/3/17; Congressional
Quarterly, 10/3/17; Congressional
Actions, H.R.
36]
2017: Fitzpatrick Voted For The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection
Act, Which Banned Abortion After 20-Weeks. In October 2017,
Fitzpatrick voted for legislation banning abortion after the fetus is
20-weeks old. According to Congressional Quarterly, "Passage of the bill
that would prohibit abortions in cases where the probable age of the
fetus is 20 weeks or later and would impose criminal penalties on
doctors who violate the ban. It would provide exceptions for cases in
which the woman's life is in danger as well as for pregnancies that are
a result of rape for pregnancies that are a result of rape against an
adult woman, if the woman received counseling or medical treatment for
the rape at least 48 hours prior to the abortion. An exception would be
provided for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest against a minor
if the rape or incest had been previously reported to law enforcement or
another government agency authorized to act on reports of child abuse.
The bill would require a second doctor trained in neonatal resuscitation
to be present for abortions where the fetus has the 'potential' to
survive outside the womb." The vote was on passage. The House passed the
bill by a vote of 237 to 189. The Senate took no substantive action on
the legislation. [House Vote 549,
10/3/17; Congressional
Quarterly, 10/3/17; Congressional
Actions, H.R.
36]