For the second time in two days, House Democrats blocked a request by Republicans to vote on a bill that would stop infanticide.
This is the second time Congressional Democrats thwarted an attempt by Republicans to vote on a bill that would provide medical care and treatment for babies who provide survived failed abortions — twice in the House and once in the Senate.
As LifeNews reported, pro-abortion Senator Patty Murray blocked a vote on Monday on a bill from pro-life Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska that would stop infanticide nationwide. Then, yesterday, Democrats blocked Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s unanimous consent request to vote on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.
Today, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise asked Democrats to allow a vote on what should be a noncontroversial bill. They refused.
“Before the entire House, I asked for immediate consideration of a bill that protects infants born alive during abortions. But Democrats rejected my motion and refused to consider it. Why won’t they go on record and tell the American people where they stand on infanticide?” Scalise asked on Twitter following the denial.
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House Republicans will bring up the request to vote on the Born Alive bill every day for the next 30 days.
House Republicans have introduced their version of a bill to stop infanticide. Their measure is comparable to the Senate bill that for abortion Senator Patty Murray objected to earlier this week.
The vote would come after Virginia Governor Ralph Northam endorsed infanticide on a radio show last week.
“Yesterday, Speaker Pelosi took the President of the nation’s largest abortion business to the State of the Union address and today she’s blocking legislation that makes it illegal to leave a newborn baby to die. This is morally repugnant. Passing the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act shouldn’t be hard – there are only two sides to this debate: you’re defending babies or you’re defending infanticide,” Senator Sasse told LifeNews after yesterday’s denial.
The House Republican leaders also said they will be working on a petition that would bring the bill to the floor of the house for a vote over speaker Nancy Pelosi’s objections.
Today, Representative Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) announced the re-introduction of the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, legislation designed to ensure any infant born alive after an abortion receives the same protection of law as any newborn: mandating care and instituting penalties for doctors who allow such infants to die or who intentionally kill a newborn.
House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), an original cosponsor, will introduce a resolution providing for floor consideration of Wagner’s legislation. After 30 legislative days, Whip Scalise and Rep. Wagner will file a discharge petition that would force a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives upon being signed by a majority of members of the House.
“Innocent life must be defended and protected at every stage, and that includes babies born alive during an abortion. We must immediately extend legal protections to these vulnerable newborns and prosecute any doctor who would leave them to die,” said Whip Scalise.
He added: “I introduced this resolution to begin the process of forcing a vote on Congresswoman Wagner’s important piece of legislation, especially after horrific actions taken in New York and Virginia to permit infanticide. The silence from Congressional Democrats is deafening and shameful. Every Member of Congress, regardless of party, needs to go on record against infanticide, and we must immediately take action to stop it. The American people deserve to know where their representatives stand on this critical issue.”
“I have been horrified to watch radical Democratic legislators argue that babies who survive abortions should not be given the same level of medical care that all other newborn babies receive.” said Representative Wagner.
She added: “Congress must act to protect those who cannot protect themselves. That is why I introduced the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which merely ensures that babies who survive abortions receive immediate, lifesaving care—just as any other baby would. To my colleagues, this is the simplest vote you will ever take: either you support babies being killed after they are born or you don’t. It is time to go on the record and make clear if you think babies born alive deserve medical care, or if you think they should be left to die.”
The legislation requires that health care practitioners who are present at the live birth exercise skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child—the same degree of care that would be offered to any other child born prematurely the same gestational age. After those efforts, the health care workers must transport and admit the child to a hospital.
It also requires health care practitioners and hospital employees to report violations to law enforcement authorities, reducing the number of born-alive abortions that go unreported.
The law penalizes the intentional killing of a born-alive child through fines or up to 5 years imprisonment and it gives the mother of the abortion survivor a civil cause of action and protection from prosecution, recognizing that women are the second victims of abortion and promoting the dignity of motherhood.
