Tennessee Rep. Stephen Fincher introduced a resolution in reaction to the crimes Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell is charged with, calling on the House to review abortion policies Wednesday night.
Fincher’s resolution, “Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress and the States should investigate and correct abusive, unsanitary, and illegal abortion practices,” follows Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee’s attempt to pass a similar resolution in the Senate.
“The more I hear about the Gosnell trial, the more my heart breaks,” Fincher said. “With today’s technology you can actually see the baby grow, move and hear their little heart beats. Late-term abortions are unconscionable. As a nation, it’s time to put politics aside and do the right thing to protect innocent little babies.”
Indiana Rep. Marlin Stutzman and Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn co-sponsored the resolution.
“Gosnell has debunked the myth that abortion in America is safe, legal, and rare,” Blackburn added. “No one — not the president, Planned Parenthood, nor the mainstream media — can defend that lie anymore. America is better than allowing Gosnell-like clinic conditions and Gosnell-like abortions from being swept under the rug like nothing ever happened and that women and children never died. Oversight and enforcement are desperately needed so we can help stop these Gosnell abortion horror stories from continuing.”
“Pennsylvania’s Department of Health has deliberately chosen not to enforce laws that should afford patients at abortion clinics the same safeguards and assurances of quality health care patients of other medical service providers,” a letter sent to states reads. “Even nail salons in Pennsylvania are monitored more closely for client safety.”
Wednesday Stutzman penned an op-ed in The Washington Times about his mother who, as a pregnant teenager whose home had burned down, considered driving 40 miles to Kalamazoo, Mich. to abort him. In the article, Stutzman recalls a conversation he had with his mother after speaking on the floor about Gosnell’s alleged crimes:
I gave her a call. When she answered, I talked to her about my speech on the House floor and then asked gently, “Mom, did you ever think about.” There was a tense pause, and then, through tears she said, “Marlin, I’m so sorry!” As we cried together, I was no longer a congressman, but a son understanding for the first time the heartache and struggles my mom had gone through before I was born. As we talked about her fear of driving 40 miles alone, I had to think, “What if a ‘Gosnell‘ clinic was only four miles away instead of 40?” She asked if I could forgive her. I answered, “Yes, with all my heart.”
The resolution comes as GOP lawmakers call on state officials to explain their state’s respective abortion policies and regulations.
Senate Democrats objected to Lee’s effort to pass his illegal abortion resolution by unanimous consent Wednesday. Lee’s resolution currently has 26 co-sponsors.
Gosnell is awaiting judgment on over 250 charges, including first degree murder in the deaths of four infants born alive in attempted abortions, and a third degree murder charge for a woman who died due to a drug overdose during an abortion.