Legislation that would have required babies who survive abortions to receive appropriate medical care from health professionals has been blocked by Senate Democrats.
The measure would have ensured that health care professionals exercise their usual professional skill in caring for the abortion-surviving newborns—just as health professionals would do for any other newborn children.
It would have required, as well, that a born-alive baby, upon receiving proper medical care, then be transported to a hospital (assuming the newborn was delivered in an abortion clinic or other such location).
The measure was proposed as an amendment to the 2021 Budget Resolution in the Senate.
All Senate Republicans voted in favor of protecting the infants—as did Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Bob Casey Jr. (D-PA). But in the vote taken last week, 48 Senate Democrats opposed the measure—which required 60 votes to pass.
The failure of passing the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act “shows just how extreme the majority of Senate Democrats are,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, as Catholic News Service reported.
See these additional comments and reactions as well:
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) had reintroduced the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act on Jan. 28, 2021, stating that “every baby deserves a fighting chance, whether she’s born in a state-of-the-art hospital or an abortion clinic in a strip mall.”
He added, “A decent society can’t turn its back on these babies because compassion, truth, and love still matter.”
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Sasse also said, “A week ago, President Biden stood on the Capitol steps and said, ‘With unity we can do great things. Important things. We can right wrongs.’ Well, here’s a chance to do just that.” (You can read the bill and see its co-sponsors here.)
After the roll-call vote was taken—the amendment received a bipartisan majority vote of 52-48 but did not meet the 60-vote threshold to advance—Sasse issued this statement: “Protecting newborns ought to be the easiest thing in the world. This legislation isn’t red vs. blue, it is simply about giving every baby a fighting chance. Every baby deserves care. This isn’t about abortion, it’s about human rights. I am going to continue to fight for these babies because love is stronger than power and we will win.”
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Current federal law does not adequately protect a born child who survives an abortion, as the senator’s website points out.
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–By CNJ Staff
