Shikha Dalmia on a Federal Ban on Late-Term Abortions

Steve Rhodes / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

The Republican-controlled House voted last week 242-184 to impose a federal ban on abortions after 20 weeks. President Obama will veto the bill on the off chance that it gets through the Senate.

That Republicans are pushing for a federal solution to this issue is hypocritical enough given their oft-cited commitment to federalism and state's rights. But what's even more ironic, notes Reason Foundation Senior Analyst Shikha Dalmia, is that they also routinely argue that government can't regulate anything without making it worse. "If that's the case, how could government regulate one of the most tragic choices mothers face without compounding the tragedy?"

"The fact is, it can't," she says.

#Abortion #Federalism