Pro-Life Senator Lindsey Graham Dies at 71, He Fought Hard Against Abortion

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime Republican from South Carolina and a leading voice in the pro-life movement, died Saturday at age 71 after an unnamed illness, his office announced.

Graham, who represented South Carolina in the Senate since 2003 and was running for reelection, had recently returned from a trip to Ukraine.

His office said he died from a “brief and sudden illness,” without providing further details.

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Throughout his career, Graham fought hard against abortion, consistently championing legislation to protect unborn children, particularly those capable of feeling pain. He repeatedly introduced the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which sought to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy — and later advanced a national 15-week limit — arguing that such measures aligned America with most developed nations and reflected scientific reality.

“The science is clear – a child at fifteen weeks is well-developed and is capable of feeling pain,” Graham stated in April 2024 while pushing back against efforts to leave abortion policy solely to the states. “I will continue to advocate that there should be a national minimum standard limiting abortion at fifteen weeks because the child is capable of feeling pain, with exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother.”

Graham emphasized that the pro-life cause transcended geography.

“I respectfully disagree with President Trump’s statement that abortion is a states’ rights issue,” he said. “Dobbs does not require that conclusion legally and the pro-life movement has always been about the wellbeing of the unborn child – not geography. … A child at 15 weeks sucks his thumb, feels pain in California and New York as much as South Carolina.”

He strongly opposed what he described as extreme Democrat positions allowing abortion with few restrictions.

In a 2023 statement criticizing Democratic legislation, Graham declared: “Like most Americans, and the rest of the civilized world, I oppose late-term abortion. I opposed it before Dobbs and I oppose it after.”

He continued: “Senate Democrats have introduced and voted in support of legislation that would allow taxpayer-funded abortion, on demand, up to the moment of birth. This is an extreme position and one that would put the United States in line with the policies of China and North Korea rather than the rest of the civilized world. … America does not need, and the unborn cannot afford, to have two major parties who support no restrictions on abortion up to the moment of birth. The unborn need a voice in Washington. It is up to us to provide it.”

When reintroducing the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act in 2021, Graham said: “There are only seven countries that allow wholesale abortions at the 20-week period, including China and North Korea. The United States should not be in that club. I don’t believe abortion, five months into pregnancy, makes us a better nation. America is at her best when she’s standing up for the least among us, and the sooner we pass this legislation into law, the better. We are on the right side of history.”

Pro-life advocates praised his consistency in defending the unborn, even as the issue shifted after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision returned greater authority to the states.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following statement following his death:

“Lindsey Graham was a true leader. Lindsey did the hard, often unseen work of accomplishing what has lasting value,” he said. “Lindsey Graham was not just a vote; he was a voice, a voice for the defenseless. He used his influence to advance the cause of life. When others grew quiet, Lindsey stepped forward and gave his colleagues a way to speak – clearly, courageously, and compassionately about the dignity of every human life.”