Politics

Nadler Says Problem With Abortion Bill Is It Mandates Babies Born Alive Receive Care ‘Which May Not Be Appropriate’

New York Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler said Wednesday the problem with a new anti-abortion bill is that it mandates babies who survive an abortion receive medical treatment. [Screenshot Twitter Greg Price]

[Screenshot Twitter Greg Price]

Brianna Lyman News and Commentary Writer
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New York Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler said Wednesday that the problem with a new anti-abortion bill is that it mandates babies who survive an abortion receive treatment “which may not be appropriate.”

H.R. 26, known as the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,” would mandate that health care practitioners exercise “the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion.”

The legislation was introduced by Republican Missouri Rep. Ann Wagner. It passed mostly along party lines, with all 219 Republicans and one Democrat supporting it while 210 Democrats opposed it. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Call On FDA To Rescind Changes Giving More Access To Over-The-Counter Abortion Pills)

The legislation requires the child be immediately admitted to a hospital and that any health care professional must do their due diligence to “preserve the life and health of the child” as they would to “any other child born alive at the same gestational age.”

Nadler, however, argued the bill endangers infants by demanding they receive medical care “which may not be appropriate.”

“The problem with this bill is not that it provides any new protections for infants, the problem with this bill is that is endangers some infants by stating that that infant must immediately be brought to the hospital where, where, depending on the circumstances, that may be the right thing to do for the health and survival of that infant, or it may not, that is the problem with this bill. It directs and mandates certain medical care which may not be appropriate, which may endanger the life of an infant in certain circumstances.”

Democratic Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky expressed a similar sentiment, saying the legislation “requires immediately taking a struggling baby to a hospital.”

“That hospital could be hours away and could be detrimental to the life of that baby,” Schakowsky said. “This is nothing more than part of the effort to make abortion illegal.”