Republicans are hoping to use Pope Francis' historic visit to the United States to help bolster their push to ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy,
Politico reports.
Lawmakers want the pontiff — who will address them on Capitol Hill this week — to lay down the law on the strict Catholic ideology against abortion.
"The message to the Pope is … there are only seven countries in the world that allow abortion this late, at five months. And I'd like us to not be one of them." Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, told Politico.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, added: "It will at least increase awareness. I think the one thing you find with this particular policy, it tends to be more broadly supported than any other issues around the pro-life agenda that I support."
Despite GOP support for the 20-week law, the House has struggled, so far unsuccessfully to get the bill over to the Senate. Lawmakers hope a word or two about abortion will help get the legislation moving.
Politico says the GOP hopes a vote on the 2-week limit, "as well as standalone measures on defunding Planned Parenthood and targeted investigations into the group, will relieve the escalating pressure from conservatives to use must-pass government funding to strip federal money from the women's health group."
The Vatican is not previewing what the pontiff will say to Congress, but he is expected to address abortion, climate change, income inequality, U.S. relations with Cuba and the Iran deal,
The Hill reports.
At least one lawmaker, Rep. Paul Gosar, an Arizona Republican, is
boycotting the pontiff's speech, saying Francis acts and talks "like a leftist politician" on issues like climate change.
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