Mustering 42 votes in opposition to 54 in favor, Democrats in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday defeated a Republican bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Sixty votes were needed to advance the measure, called the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.

Hawaii senators Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz were among those voting “nay.”

In a statement after the vote, Hirono said:

“We have no business attempting to legislate a private, constitutionally protected right using unsubstantiated science and hyperbole. In fact, numerous courts have found similar laws by states to be unconstitutional.

“I am calling this bill what it is – an unnecessary, unwarranted, and likely unconstitutional intrusion into women’s private health care decisions.”

The vote came not long before Pope Francis arrived in Washington, D.C., to address Congress and visit the White House.