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Marco Rubio’s handling of the immigration bill may have left him bruised and beaten from both sides of the political spectrum, but that doesn’t mean Florida’s junior senator is about to shy away from controversial legislation anytime soon.
For his next trick, the tarnished conservative Golden boy will take on perhaps America’s most controversial issues: women’s reproductive rights.
According to The Weekly Standard, Rubio has agreed to be the lead sponsor in the Senate of a bill that would ban abortions after the 20 -week mark, about half way through a pregnancy. If passed, the law would become the toughest federal regulation on abortion in the books. However, according to the CDC, only about 1.4 percent of abortions happen past the 20th week.
Of course, given that the senate is controlled by Democrats and that President Obama would probably veto the bill, it’s not likely to pass.
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Even the conservative press like The Standard see this more as political posturing than political reality.
“He is viewed as a likely candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016,” writes Fred Barnes. “But he’s recently prompted serious criticism by Republicans over his support for the immigration reform bill that passed the Senate last week. His front-and-center role on a key anti-abortion measure is likely to ease concerns about him among GOP voters.”
So, while we don’t doubt Rubio believes in the legislation, the political posturing his clear: it’s a nice way to make amends with conservatives who are sore with him for not being a total wing-nut on immigration.
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