Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Unsafe to Move the Baby

March 09, 2022 Post a Comment

House members over again push 'born-alive' abortion bill, despite long odds

Amongst those testifying in front of the friendly crowd in support of the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act were (from left), Jill Stanek; Dr. Robin Pierucci, a neonatalogist; Dr. Kathi Aultman, a gynecologist; and Tessa Longbons, a researcher with the Charlotte Lozier Institute. (Photo by Lindsay Walker/Cronkite News)

Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., ii of the main sponsors of the "built-in alive" abortion bill, hope to force a vote on the measure they say is being blocked past Democratic leaders. (Photograph by Lindsay Walker/Cronkite News)

Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria, called the "built-in live" abortion neb one of the most important issues before Congress. She is i of 190 co-sponsors, who include all four Arizona Republican Firm members. (Photo by Lindsay Walker/Cronkite News)

WASHINGTON – Despite repeated failures, Republican leaders rallied Tuesday in support of their latest version of the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Human activity, which Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria, called "the nearly important nib in Congress."

She was one of a score of GOP lawmakers at an hours-long hearing where lawmakers and health care providers called for action on the bill that would require doctors to provide the same life-saving care to babies born alive after a failed abortion that they would requite to any baby.

"It is murder. There should not be a question in this country that babies should be protected," said Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., a main sponsor of the bill, which would also levy jail fourth dimension or fines for medical providers who neglect to comply.

Opponents said the addresses a problem that doesn't be and contributes to the harmful rhetoric that surrounds abortion. It as well inserts the government into what should be a private decision, said Tayler Tucker, media relations managing director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona.

"These propositions are drafted by politicians and non medical professionals," Tucker said. "The person that should have the well-nigh agency in that shouldn't be the government, but should exist the patient, their provider and their family."

Tucker said she was not surprised that the neb – which is introduced in every Congress and repeatedly fails – is back. She believes this year'due south version volition suffer the same fate, peculiarly because earlier versions failed even when both chambers of Congress were in Republican hands and the House is now controlled past Democrats.

The last version of the bill passed the Republican-controlled House in January 2022 but was not able to get the 60 votes needed in the Senate to block a Autonomous filibuster.

The current bill was introduced in February by Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., with 190 co-sponsors, merely a handful of whom are Democrats. All four Republicans in the Arizona delegation accept signed onto the bill, only none of the state'southward Democrats has.

The bill has since languished in the House Judiciary Committee without a hearing, and in April, Scalise and Wagner filed a discharge petition to strength a vote past the total House. That petition needs 218 signatures – a majority of the Business firm – to trigger a vote; Republicans said Tuesday they're just 15 signatures shy of their goal.

Lawmakers at Tuesday'southward outcome said the petition is needed because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has blocked attempts to act on the bill 80 times.

– Cronkite News video by Hannah Ehrlich

"Our Democratic Speaker of the House refuses to put a nib on the floor that would protect a human being being's life when they're built-in alive," Lesko said after the hearing. "Information technology's just unbelievable to me that we are fifty-fifty talking about this."

If information technology could exit of Congress, Scalise said, the nib would become police force.

"The president said he wants this on his desk," Scalise said of Trump, who tweeted his displeasure the last time the bill failed in the Senate.

Arizona is ane of a handful of states with laws that require physicians to use "all available means and medical skills … to promote, preserve and maintain" the life of a fetus that has survived an abortion.

The police took effect in late 2017. The Arizona Section of Health Services said there were x reports of an embryo or fetus delivered live in the last 5 months of that yr, a twelvemonth in which 12,336 abortions were performed in the state. It was the nearly contempo twelvemonth for which state data were available.

At Tuesday'due south hearing, several health care workers testified to their experiences with babies who they said survived abortion attempts. Tessa Longbons, a researcher with the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute, brought forth data on built-in-alive abortions, including Arizona's 2022 numbers.

Despite the long odds, Lesko said she hopes Republican rallying will spur some Democrats to cross the alley and sign the discharge petition, along with the few Democrats who have cosponsored the bill.

"We're not even talking about abortion now, we're talking about a baby born alive and giving it lifesaving handling," she said.

Tucker best-selling that although Planned Parenthood is concerned about whatever attempts to rein in ballgame rights, the system is confident this bill will not pass the Democrat-controlled House.

"Are nosotros concerned? Yes," Tucker said. "But practise we know that nosotros have the power backside us and that our fight is the right fight to be in? Aye."