Trey Paul, FISM News
Senate Republicans introduced a bill that would protect newborns who survived botched abortions on Wednesday and are now pushing Democrats to allow it to come up for a vote.
Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma and Senate Minority Whip John Thune, both Republicans, introduced the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. The bill ensures that all infants born alive will receive the same life-saving care any other human being would receive.
Sen. Thune tweeted a video message that summarizes the bill and says he remains hopeful it will receive bi-partisan support.
Babies who are born alive during a botched abortion should be given the same basic medical care that would be afforded to any other newborn.
That’s why I’m proud to join @SenatorLankford in introducing the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. pic.twitter.com/fdydfIyXvE
— Senator John Thune (@SenJohnThune) February 1, 2023
The House passed its version of the bill in January with a vote of 220-210. It was a move many pro-life conservatives, like attorney and radio show host Jordan Sekulow, celebrated. He tweeted: “FINALLY, with former Speaker Pelosi gone and thus unable to oppose it, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act has been passed in the House. This is a major first-step victory for life.”
FINALLY, with former Speaker Pelosi gone and thus unable to oppose it, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act has been passed in the House.
This is a major first-step victory for life. https://t.co/lhgbfD6Xy3
— Jordan Sekulow (@JordanSekulow) January 29, 2023
“Every life is valuable — born or unborn,” Sen. Lankford said.
It shouldn’t be controversial to say that the small number of children who survive an attempted abortion and are living outside their mother’s womb, that baby deserves to receive care. Protecting life should not be a partisan issue; it should be an American issue and a human rights issue. I am proud to introduce this bill and to speak up for the children who cannot speak for themselves. A baby crying outside the womb should be cared for, not destroyed.
If passed, mothers would be protected from prosecution and they would be allowed to pursue civil litigation if a doctor who performed the abortion fails to comply with the law.
“This bill isn’t about interfering with a so-called right to abortion,” said Carol Tobias, President of National Rights to Life. “It is about stopping infanticide. Following Dobbs v. Jackson, several states are moving not only to fully legalize abortion up to the moment of birth but also going to great lengths to insulate abortion providers from even the most basic scrutiny.”
One of those states is Montana, where more than 230,000 voted against life-saving measures that could help prematurely born infants, including those who survived botched abortion procedures. In November, FISM News reported that the Montana Born-Alive Infant Protection Act failed to be approved by a 52.6% to 47.4% vote.
In January, the Minnesota Senate passed legislation that guarantees the right to an abortion, a bill many Republicans have called the “most extreme” in the nation.
“The Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act promises to ensure the most basic and fundamental of all human rights,” said Jim Daly, President of Focus on the Family. “No doctor should ever be allowed to turn their back on a helpless child.
“Focus on the Family” is a global Christian ministry that puts an emphasis on helping families thrive. The group also puts an emphasis on the Word of God as it pertains to the value of life in the womb by sharing Scripture like Jeremiah 1:4-5, which reads:
Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
“It is to our nation’s great shame that this bill, requiring medical professionals provide the necessary aid to a dying child, even has to be proposed,” said Brent Leatherwood, President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. “And, even more so, that it has been done so in successive sessions of Congress without being passed.”
Sen. Thune says he’s hopeful that some Democratic senators like Joe Manchin of West Virginia will support his bill because of their personal opposition to abortion.
“This common-sense bill is a basic standard of decency, and it is an issue that should have overwhelming bipartisan support,” said Sen. Thune. “I’m proud to lead this effort in the Senate against the injustices of abortion and infanticide, and I will continue to fight until we can ensure that every child is protected.”