FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 12, 2021
Contact: Mallory Quigley, [email protected] | 202-223-8073
House Republicans Push to Overcome Pro-Abortion Democrats’ Obstruction & Vote to #EndInfanticide
Washington, D.C. – The national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) announced today it will score signatures on a discharge petition, led by U.S. House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO), and Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL), to hold a vote on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (H.R. 619). Sponsored by Rep. Wagner, the bill would ensure that babies born alive during failed abortions receive the same medical care as infants born prematurely at the same age.
This legislation has been blocked repeatedly by pro-abortion Democrats in both the House and Senate. If a majority of representatives sign the discharge petition starting this Wednesday, April 14, it will force a vote by the full House.
SBA List’s score letter, transmitted to Capitol Hill today, reads in part:
“Over the past few years, we have seen growing hostility in certain states, including Virginia, New York, and Illinois. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is infamous for his statement that in the case of abortion survivors, a discussion would happen as to whether or not to provide life-sustaining care. It is incumbent upon the Federal Government to protect these vulnerable born-alive infants and to stand united against infanticide.”
SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser added:
“This petition will put every member of the new Congress on record for or against infanticide. In the two years pro-abortion Democrats have spent blocking this humane legislation, dozens of babies have been born alive after failed abortions, their fate largely unknown. Most Americans want to protect them – yet under the Biden-Harris White House, radical Democrats’ agenda of abortion on demand through birth will surely result in more abortions as well as more survivors.
“We are grateful for the heroic leadership of Whip Steve Scalise, Congresswoman Ann Wagner, Congresswoman Kat Cammack, and all our Republican allies. We hope colleagues across the aisle will find the courage to stand up to Speaker Pelosi for innocent children. Those who fail will be held accountable in the 2022 midterm elections.”
A new fact sheet from Charlotte Lozier Institute, SBA List’s research arm, examines state health data showing that, since 2019, at least 33 babies have been born alive after failed abortions across four states (Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, and Texas). CLI has engaged in a multi-year effort to obtain abortion data from jurisdictions that voluntarily report it. In addition, CLI Research Associate Tessa Longbons reports that protections for babies who survive abortions are inconsistent across the United States, with fewer than half of states maintaining sufficient protections.
Seventy-seven percent of voters believe babies born alive during failed abortions should be protected under the law.
SBA List is a network of 900,000 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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