House Republicans Push for Vote on Born Alive Bill

Bill that would protect infants who survive abortions faces staunch Democratic opposition

Graham Piro • April 15, 2021 2:30 pm

House Republicans are pushing for a vote on a bill that would require doctors to care for infants who survive abortions.

Rep. Kat Cammack (R., Fla.) filed a discharge petition Wednesday to bring the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act up for a floor vote. The petition requires 218 signatures, meaning six Democrats would have to cross the aisle to force a vote on the legislation. The bill, however, faces strong Democratic opposition—Democrats have blocked the bill on multiple occasions, most recently in February.

Rep. Ann Wagner (R., Mo.), who authored the legislation in the House, ripped Democrats for obstructing the legislation during a floor speech Wednesday.

“Again and again, more than 75 times, Democrats have refused to even allow a vote on my legislation,” Wagner said. “This is shameful … Do you support babies receiving life-saving care after they’re born? Or would you deny these children the care and murder them or leave them to die in front of you?”

In a statement Wednesday, Cammack said the petition will “show the American people where their representatives stand on this critical issue.”

“Today’s discharge petition symbolizes our commitment to protecting the sanctity of life for all Americans, including the most vulnerable among us,” Cammack said. “For too long, Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats have demonstrated their disregard for this most basic right.”

Sen. Ben Sasse (R., Neb.) has led the charge to pass the bill in the Senate, clashing with Democratic senators who described the legislation as unnecessary because federal law already prohibits infanticide. Sasse’s legislation would have expanded the protections by including federal criminal penalties for failing to care for a newborn. He has introduced the bill in every legislative session since 2015.