Senate Democrats have once again blocked a Republican bill that threatens prison time for healthcare practitioners who do not attempt to save the life of infants born alive during failed abortions. President Trump railed against the Democrats on Monday for refusing to support the legislation and for taking such an “extreme” pro-abortion stance.
The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, sponsored by Senator Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), seeks to protect infants born alive following botched abortion procedures by amending the criminal code to prevent a healthcare practitioner from failing to provide “the proper degree of care” if a child survives an abortion.
Similar to the 2002 Born Alive Infants Protection Act signed into law by President George W. Bush, the legislation establishes that any child born alive, even in cases of abortion attempts, is to be considered a “person” under federal law. However, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act goes a step further by imposing penalties on those who do not follow it. Senator Sasse’s bill includes fines and/or imprisonment for up to five years, Live Action reports.
“If an abortion results in the live birth of an infant, the infant is a legal person for all purposes under the laws of the United States, and entitled to all the protections of such laws,” reads the legislation, adding: “Any infant born alive after an abortion or within a hospital, clinic, or other facility has the same claim to the protection of the law that would arise for any newborn, or for any person who comes to a hospital, clinic, or other facility for screening and treatment or otherwise becomes a patient within its care.”
Sadly, the vote fell short of the necessary 60 votes needed to move forward on the legislation. It’s worth noting that all the prominent Democratic 2020 presidential hopefuls — Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Kamala Harris of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts — voted down the measure. Just three Democrats joined Republicans in support of the bill.
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President Trump took to Twitter to articulate his disgust for the Democratic Party’s radical pro-abortion stance.
“Senate Democrats just voted against legislation to prevent the killing of newborn infant children,” Trump tweeted. “The Democrat position on abortion is now so extreme that they don’t mind executing babies AFTER birth.”
“This will be remembered as one of the most shocking votes in the history of Congress,” Trump continued. “If there is one thing we should all agree on, it’s protecting the lives of innocent babies.”
Senator Sasse was also “surprised” by the Democratic position on the bill, he told Fox News.
“I want to ask each and every one of my colleagues whether or not we’re OK with infanticide,” he said.
Sasse added, “This shouldn’t be about politics…. This should be about having heart.”
Sasse attempted to pass the bill earlier this month by unanimous consent, which requires all 100 senators to agree, but Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) objected to the measure, claiming it was merely political theater.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who was an original sponsor of the bill, also criticized Democrats, saying it was “unconscionable” that “protecting innocent, newborn abortion survivors is now a partisan issue.” Rubio contends that the vote has exposed the truth that Democrats “support the legalization of infanticide.”
Planned Parenthood predictably stepped in with an attempt to spin the vote as anything but pro-infanticide. Leana Wen of Planned Parenthood Action Fund argued that the legislation is unnecessary because it is a fallacy to say that there are born-alive survivors of abortions.
“There is no such thing as abortion until or after birth,” reads the Planned Parenthood tweet. “Trump’s position on abortion is so extreme that he lies to the American public to incite fear & violence against women making personal decisions & abortion providers trying to provide their patients the best care possible.”
Unfortunately for Planned Parenthood, there is video evidence that contradicts their claim. Live Action president Lila Rose issued a statement outlining this evidence:
Live Action has documented on camera how abortionists in our country’s notorious late-term abortion facilities talk about survivors of abortion. Washington, D.C. abortionist Cesare Santangelo told our undercover investigators that he would make sure babies “do not survive” if they were born alive at his facility. A New York abortion worker told our Live Action investigator to “flush” the baby down the toilet or “put it in a bag” if she’s born alive. In Arizona, an abortion worker told us there “may be movement” after the baby is outside of the mother and that they would refuse to provide help and instead let her die. Dr. DeShawn Taylor, former medical director for Planned Parenthood, told a Center for Medical Progress investigator that identifying “signs of life” after a baby survives an abortion is contingent upon “who’s in the room.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, between 2003 and 2014, at least 143 babies died after being born alive during abortions. In 2016 in the state of Florida alone, 16 infants were born after abortion procedures. Sadly, Live Action reports there are currently 19 states without protections for abortion survivors.
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