House Minority Whip Steve Scalise plans to push the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act to ensure babies who survive abortion will be cared for after they are born.
Republican Missouri Rep. Ann Wagner announced the re-introduction of the bill Wednesday. Scalise is an original cosponsor of the bill and will file a discharge petition in order to set the bill in motion, Politico reported.
“I have been horrified to watch radical Democratic legislators argue that babies who survive abortions should not be given the same level of medical care that all other newborn babies receive,” Wagner said, according to a press release.
The petition requires 218 signatures in order to move to the floor, according to Politico.
The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act would mandate babies born alive after an abortion would receive the “same protection of law as any newborn.”
The bill was introduced Monday by Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, but blocked by Democratic Washington Sen. Patty Murray, who called the measure unnecessary since post-birth abortions are illegal. (RELATED: Majority Of Democrats Sit During Trump’s Call For Ban On Late-Term Abortion)
“We have laws against infanticide in this country. This is a gross misinterpretation of the actual language of the bill that is being asked to be considered and therefore, I object,” Murray said, according to The Hill.
Hospital employees and health care professionals must report violations of the measure to law enforcement, the bill states. Those who intentionally kill a child born alive face fines and up to five years in prison under the measure.
“The Democrats’ silence is shameful. They must go on record against infanticide. Americans deserve to know where their reps stand on this issue. I started the process to force Pelosi to bring a bill to the Floor to protect babies born alive during abortion,” Scalise tweeted Wednesday.
WATCH:
Thank you to my friend @RepAnnWagner for helping to lead the fight to protect innocent life at all stages! I joined @seanhannity following @realDonaldTrump’s #SOTU where he stood up for the sanctity of life to discuss our efforts. pic.twitter.com/qndNJBkrdg
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) February 6, 2019
“Innocent life must be defended and protected at every stage, and that includes babies born alive during an abortion. We must immediately extend legal protections to these vulnerable newborns and prosecute any doctor who would leave them to die,” Scalise also said, according to the press release.
Scalise’s efforts follow President Donald Trump’s State of the Union on Tuesday night addressing a number of topics including late-term abortion. Trump criticized late-term abortion legislation and vowed to protect the lives of unborn children, calling for a ban on late-term abortion.
Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Maine, New Mexico and Maryland are considering proposals to expand abortion access.
New York passed the Reproductive Health Act on Jan. 22, codifying a woman’s ability to abort under state law and allowing women to have abortions after 24 weeks in cases where “there is an absence of fetal viability, or at any time when necessary to protect a patient’s life or health,” according to the legislation.
Seventy-five percent of Americans polled by Marist support significant abortion restrictions and say abortion should be limited to the first three months of being pregnant, according to the survey published Jan. 15.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
