| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 28, 2020 |
CONTACT: Mallory Quigley [email protected], 202-223-8073 |
For 2nd Time This Week, Washington Democrats Block Bill to Protect Babies Born Alive After Failed Abortions
Washington, D.C. – Today Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives voted down a motion to recommit (MTR) to H.R. 2339 which would have protected babies who survive abortions. The MTR contained the text of H.R. 962, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. The vote in the House comes on the heels of Senate Democrats filibustering the Senate version of this legislation. The bipartisan vote in the U.S. House was 187-220, while the bipartisan vote in the Senate was 56-41 (just four votes shy of the 60 needed to advance). Three Democrats voted in favor of the motion in the House: Dan Lipinski (IL-03), Ben McAdams (UT-04), and Collin Peterson (MN-07).
Introduced in February 2019 by Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO), the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act ensures that babies born alive during failed abortions receive the same medical care as any other baby born prematurely at the same age.
“This week congressional Democrats stood firmly behind the party’s presidential candidates in supporting abortion on-demand, up until the moment of birth, and even supporting infanticide,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “Americans of all political stripes are disgusted by this extreme, inhumane position and we are confident that will be reflected at the ballot box this November. President Trump stands ready to sign the popular, compassionate Born-Alive legislation into law. It is national Democrats – from the party’s leading presidential contenders to Nancy Pelosi – who stand squarely in the way of protecting these innocent children from being left to die.
“We thank President Trump, Leader Kevin McCarthy, Whip Steve Scalise, Congresswoman Ann Wagner, and all our pro-life Republican allies in Congress for their dedication to getting this humane legislation enacted.”
SBA List today sent a letter to members of Congress in support of the motion to recommit and indicating that this vote will be reflected in SBA List’s National Pro-life Scorecard. The letter signed by SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser reads in part:
“Speaker Pelosi has refused to bring this critical bill up for a vote this Congress, despite 80 unanimous consent requests and 204 signatures on a discharge petition. It is time to vote. … By passing this Born-Alive Motion to Recommit, Representatives will be taking the next step toward fulfilling President Donald Trump’s commitments to protect babies born alive from infanticide. It’s incumbent upon pro-life legislators to make this commitment a reality.”
On Tuesday, U.S. Senate Democrats filibustered Born-Alive legislation introduced by Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE), as well as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act introduced by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), which would stop late-term abortions after five months of pregnancy, a point when science clearly shows unborn children can feel excruciating pain.
Democratic Party leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives have refused more than 80 requests by pro-life Republicans to hold a vote on the Born-Alive bill. 204 members of Congress have signed a discharge petition filed by Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) to hold a vote. If a majority of representatives sign the petition, it will force a vote by the full House.
Nationwide polling released by SBA List finds that 77 percent of voters support legislation to ensure that a baby who survives a failed abortion be given the same medical treatment as any other baby born prematurely at the same age (55 percent strongly support).
SBA List is a network of more than 837,000 pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.
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