Our government’s most sacred duty is to safeguard the right to life for all Americans, including the most vulnerable. That’s why pro-life leaders in Congress are demanding a vote on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act to ensure that every newborn receives equal care, no matter the circumstances of their birth.

The effort is bitterly partisan – but it shouldn’t be. It would take only five House Democrats joining the Republicans’ petition to force a vote on this bill. Five Democrats – not to guarantee passage, just to simply have a vote. If just five House Democrats sign the Republicans’ petition, this decidedly popular, common ground legislation will get a vote. Every Republican member of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation supports this bill. Shamefully, not a single Democrat has signed on. Rep. Ron Kind, up for re-election again next year in one of the country’s most competitive districts, consistently sides with Nancy Pelosi in favor of abortion on demand. On the Senate side, Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin also refuses to support the Born-Alive Act.

Most Americans are horrified when they learn that Roe v. Wade permits abortion on demand up to birth. Indeed, the U.S. is one of only seven nations that permit late-term abortions for any reason more than halfway through pregnancy, even up to birth – a shameful club that includes North Korea and China. Even more shocking, babies sometimes survive and are callously left to die.

Like many states, unfortunately, Wisconsin reports no data on how many babies survive abortions. However, neighboring Minnesota does. Since their born-alive law went into effect in 2015, statistics show at least 19 babies have been born alive after failed abortions.

We seldom know the fate of these children. However, more and more adult survivors of abortion are coming forward to tell their stories. A leader in this movement is Melissa Ohden, who miraculously survived five days of being burned by saline in the womb. Ohden was born alive in an Iowa hospital, only to be discarded like medical waste. Fortunately, she was rescued by a compassionate nurse who heard her cries, and was adopted by a loving family.