Over the last two weeks, certain elements within the Democratic party have seemingly embraced a “culture of death,” as National Review Senior Editor Ramesh Ponnuru would say.
New York, led by a Democrat majority in state government, passed one of the nation’s most radical pro-abortion laws, which legalizes the procedure until birth and decriminalizes protections for infants born alive after botched abortions. After the passing of the New York bill, enterprising politicians in Virginia tried to adopt a similar measure.
It didn’t go well.
The first misstep was the explanation of the law given by Delegate Kathy Tran, who testified that abortion would be allowed to occur even as a woman was in labor. Shock at her statement was widespread, and then Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam compounded the issue by arguing for infanticide in a radio interview.
“The infant would be delivered,” Gov. Northam said. “The infant would be kept comfortable; the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired.”
That statement set off a chain reaction that has resulted in outrage across the country.
In response to these dangerous pieces of legislation, Senator Ben Sasse (NE-R) has decided to expedite his Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. This bill would protect babies born alive in botched abortions by penalizing doctors who fail to provide medical care to those infants. Although Senator Sasse has proposed this legislation for a couple of years, the radical New York and Virginia pro-abortion laws have strengthened his argument. He’s asking for a unanimous vote from all 100 Senators on Monday.
“Everyone in the Senate ought to be able to say unequivocally that killing a little baby is wrong,” Senator Sasse said on the Senate floor.
This will be the Democrats’ opportunity to show the country that a woman’s right to choose abortion doesn’t trump all protections for the preborn and newborns. It’s questionable if that will happen.
Since the election of Donald Trump, some within the Democratic party seem to have embraced the viewpoint of their ultra-left supporters. Socialism, communism, Medicaid for all, and sky-high taxes, and abortion up to birth and infanticide have all infiltrated the party ranks.
As the party leans towards these ultra-left views, it might be beneficial to consider a country where such radical laws are currently embraced. North Korea.
In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, communism and the cult of Kim are king. Healthcare is universal, but only those blessed enough to live in Pyongyang and not in the gulags. Access to food is a constant problem, which has resulted in a stunted population that is inches shorter on average than their neighbors in South Korea.
Abortion and infanticide are also fully embraced. According to the UN Commission on Human Rights, women who escaped North Korea but were found in China often had to undergo forced abortions or watch the guards kill their newborn babies. It’s horrific to read the stories of women who had their children aborted through physical trauma, let alone the women who were forced to watch as their newborn babies were killed by guards who often threw the babies in a bucket to drown.
Most Americans, from any party, would consider the deplorable practices of North Korea a violation of human rights, and yet abortion is allowed in the U.S., granted under different circumstances, for any reason until birth. Politicians have even started publicly speaking about infanticide for babies with special needs. Seemingly, the only difference between what the United States and North Korea do in regard to abortion is method. Does the procedure being done in the doctor’s office really make all the difference or is it just a matter of perception?
Senator Ben Sasse’s legislation is in many ways the ultimate test. Will the Democratic party be willing to help protect babies born alive in botched abortions, or will the culture of death prevail?
Today, we should have an answer.