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WASHINGTON, D.C., September 18, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) — After months of delay, the Senate has announced a vote on a bill banning most abortions after 20 weeks' gestation.

The bill bans all so-called “elective” abortions after 20 weeks' gestation. Despite majority support among the American people, it has been opposed by Democratic leaders, and threatened with a presidential veto. It is widely expected to fail by not meeting the threshold of 60 votes needed to avoid a Democratic filibuster.

Tuesday's vote follows months of debate among pro-life leaders in the House and Senate. An initial House vote, expected on the day of the March for Life, was delayed until mid-May over concerns by several Republicans that the rape exception was too narrow.

While that exception was eventually expanded, other measures were added that both blogger and Susan B. Anthony List National Campaign Chair Jill Stanek and leading pro-life Congressman Trent Franks, R-AZ, said made the bill stronger.

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Those provisions include a requirement that abortionists ensure that rape victims have received either medical treatment or licensed counseling at least 48 hours before a late-term abortion is done. The counseling cannot be done at a facility that also does abortions, unless the abortion clinic is inside a hospital.

Other changes include, but are not limited to, the addition of language that requires the presence of a second doctor in the case of such abortions, in case the child is born alive. The bill mandates that a child who survives a late-term abortion is to be cared for in the same way as any premature child, and a woman can sue if this part of the bill is violated.

Accountability and reporting laws are also enhanced under the bill, and informed consent is required.

Tuesday's Senate vote is expected to be opposed by at least one Republican, as well as most or all Democrats. There are 54 GOP senators, but The Hill reports that Sens. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Susan Collins of Maine, and Mark Kirk of Illinois haven't said they will back the bill. Pro-life groups are putting pressure on several Democrats, including Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, to back the legislation.

Franks said yesterday that he believes the 20-week ban could garner enough Democratic votes to beat a filibuster due to the Planned Parenthood fetal harvesting scandal. That scandal has received widespread media coverage, and has been the impetus for four committees in Congress and at least a dozen states to investigate Planned Parenthood.

“This chamber is long overdue at taking a hard look at the practices depicted by Planned Parenthood in these videos and examining our own conscience and our nation's policies that affect the unborn,” said Senator John Cornyn, R-TX. “Right now, there are four congressional investigations underway … and those investigations, I can tell you, are meticulous.”