PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Former television anchor Janelle Stelson has returned to familiar territory in recent weeks.
The Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania’s Tenth Congressional District has appeared in a series of ads targeting the record of her opponent, Republican Congressman Scott Perry.
"This is H.R. 431, the bill to ban all abortions in Pennsylvania and nationwide," Stelson said in the ad. "Right on page one is Congressman Scott Perry. Perry would ban abortion with no exceptions even for victims of rape."
So let’s VERIFY using the text of the bill.
H. R. 431 was introduced in January of 2023 and Scott Perry is listed as one of the sponsors on the bill.
The Life at Conception Act would “implement equal protection under the 14th article of amendment to the Constitution for the right to life of each born and preborn human person.”
The act “declares that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual comes into being.”
The short three-page bill would effectively ban abortion nationwide and the text does not include any exceptions other than noting, “nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize the prosecution of any woman for the death of her unborn child.”
So, we can VERIFY this claim is true.
Still, H.R. 431 did not gain traction in the Republican-controlled House.
No action has been taken since the day it was introduced and referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
If it or a similar bill were to pass the House, it would likely be shot down in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
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