Rep. Ann Wagner on Saving Babies Born Alive After Failed Abortions –‘I Will Not Rest Until It is Law’

The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act would help protect babies born alive after a failed abortion attempt, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refuses to bring it to the House floor for a vote.

That hasn’t stopped passionate pro-life representatives from pressing on and filing a discharge petition to try and circumvent the pro-abortion majority. One of those leading this effort is Rep. Ann Wagner of Missouri’s 2nd District. Passionate about life, Rep. Wagner shares about the importance of this bill and her belief that it will pass if brought to the floor.

“I think every single person in America should know where their member of Congress stands on providing life-saving care to an infant that is born alive,” Rep. Wagner said in an interview with The Daily Citizen. “The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act is commonsense legislation, and it just ensures that every precious baby who survives an abortion, receives the same life-saving care that any other infant would receive in the United States.

“I honestly can’t believe that we’re having this debate.”

Rep. Wagner has been serving the people of Missouri since 2013, and previously acted as the U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg for four years during the presidency of George W. Bush. She is also the Vice Ranking Member on both the House Financial Services Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee and has also been a strong advocate for victims of sex trafficking.

She has also become one of the leading voices on life in the House, and, with the support of Whip Steve Scalise and freshman Rep. Kat Cammack, has been pursuing and advocating for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act since 2019.

“Every single precious baby born alive, regardless of the circumstances of his or her birth—some may be born premature, and some may be born and survive a botched abortion—but in the United States of America you should have life-saving medical treatment. And that’s what this bill does,” Rep. Wagner explained.

In addition to requiring abortionists to administer medical care to infants born alive after a failed abortion, it also mandates that health care providers and employers report violations of the law and that states track how many babies are born alive every year.

“Frankly, there are only a handful of states that actually report the number of born-alive infants that survive abortions, so we don’t have good facts and figures,” Rep. Wagner said. “There’s probably, sadly, far more than we could imagine.”

That’s why the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act is so desperately needed. A report released in 2019 showed that approximately 40 babies born alive after failed abortions in 2016, but it only covered a handful of states. It’s possible that number might really be in the hundreds, but we just don’t know.

“I just want your readers to know that it is incumbent upon them to contact their members of Congress and find out where they stand on HR619, our Born-Alive Act,” she said. “We tried to get this across the finish line last Congress. I tried about 80 times by unanimous consent to bring this to the floor, and each time Nancy Pelosi blocked it and refused to give it a vote, so now we have a discharge petition.”

The bill was first introduced as a discharge petition in the last Congress but failed to get enough signatures to pass. With the help of Whip Scalise and Rep. Kammack, they’ve introduced it again. They need 218 signatures to bring this to the floor and past Speaker Pelosi, who can block the vote.

“We’re at 209 and counting,” Rep. Wagner reports. “We have a couple of vacancies and we have had some absences, but once the seats are officially filled, we should have 213 Republicans that will sign. Last Congress, we had several Democrats that signed. If all the Republicans sign, I just need is five more signatures.

“I will never stop working until this legislation is passed and signed into law.”

Throughout the country, several states have passed radical pro-abortion bills, most notably New York in 2019. These laws allow abortion up until the moment of birth, where the chances of a child being born alive are far higher. Generally, if a child is alive after a failed abortion, he or she will be given comfort care and essentially allowed to die. That isn’t medicine, but infanticide.

“As a mother and a grandmother, children are our greatest joy and strength,” Rep. Wagner said. “I came to Congress to be a voice for the voiceless and to make sure that we are protecting the most vulnerable in our society. Every newborn infant deserves a chance at life and to be given the proper medical care. 

“I have put it forward again this Congress, and I will not rest until it is law. The most important calling that I have in Congress is to protect the unborn and to protect those that are the most vulnerable,” she said. “I believe if brought to the floor that this bill will pass.”

Photo from Michael Brochstein/REUTERS