It was a somber scene as “more than two dozen Republican congressmen gathered in the Capitol on Tuesday afternoon to host the minority’s first hearing this Congress before a full crowd of observers, convening a panel of experts to discuss the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act” reported the National Review.
The article states that Democratic leaders are refusing to consider legislation brought up by Republicans which would require medical care for infants who are born still alive after attempted abortions.
The Born-Alive Infant Protection Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2002 which defined a baby born alive after an attempted abortion as legal “persons.” The newly introduced bill, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, brought by Representative Ann Wagner (R., Mo.) in the House and by Senator Ben Sasse (R., Neb.) in the Senate in February adds to Bush’s 2002 legislation.
This bill would create criminal penalties for doctors who allow born-alive infants to die rather than providing them with medical care. The born-alive bill mandates that newborns delivered in abortion clinics be transported to a hospital and that health-care practitioners report violations of the law. It also grants the woman on whom the abortion is performed civil cause of action against the abortionist and protects her from prosecution.
When the bill was brought to the floor in the Senate in February, 44 Democrats blocked it because the legislation would “unnecessarily restrict doctors from making case-by-case decisions about what is best for infants and mothers.” Opponents also claim the bill would made doctors “perform unnecessary procedures on premature or sick infants” writes the National Review.
National Review also noted:
With the exception of three Democratic senators, the party united to ensure that the legislation wouldn’t pass the Senate earlier this year. In the House, meanwhile, Democratic leadership has blocked no fewer than 80 Republican requests to bring the born-alive bill to the floor, preferring instead to pretend that the legislation doesn’t exist.
In April, House minority whip Steve Scalise (R., La.) filed a discharge petition, which “if signed by a majority of members, would allow the GOP to override democratic obstruction and bring the bill for a vote. That petition currently stands at 201 signatures, with only three Democrats on board:Dan Lipinski of Illinois, Ben McAdams of Utah, and Collin Peterson of Minnesota.”
Continue Reading: National Review
