Senators to Vote on Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, Again

For the second time, the Senate will take up the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act in a cloture vote later today in the hopes that protections will finally be offered to the most vulnerable of American citizens.

The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act has a year-long history in both the Senate and the House. Through multiple rounds of votes and a discharge petition still languishing in the House, this bill has faced many challenges and setbacks.

But why? Shouldn’t a developed society like America try everything possible to protect babies born alive after a failed abortion attempt?

Regardless of an individual’s position in the abortion debate, all Americans should agree that every baby born alive should be given the opportunity to not only survive but to thrive. That’s why this legislation is so important.

“This legislation is all about the simple idea that every baby deserves a fighting chance,” Senator Sasse said in a statement to The Daily Citizen. He is leading the effort to put forth this bill in the Senate. “Whether she’s born in a state-of-the-art hospital or in a strip mall abortion clinic, every baby deserves care and dignity. The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act is important because it makes sure that babies who survive abortions get medical care. Planned Parenthood’s powerful lobbyists are fighting against this compassionate, pro-baby bill, but we’re going to get it passed. It might take a while, but we’ll win, because love is strong than power.” 

There have been many prominent abortion survivors who have shared their stories nationally, from Melissa Ohden to Claire Caldwell. There is even Faces of Choice, a new organization that tries to tell the stories of abortion survivors in a visual and powerful format. But despite these women and many others sharing the reality of their experiences, Planned Parenthood, NARAL and other abortion activist organizations refuse to acknowledge that babies survive abortions or that there is any problem at all. 

Recently, the state of Colorado held a hearing on a 22-week abortion ban and a similar born-alive bill. During the hearing, Planned Parenthood tried to defend its opposition to the bill.

“I have never seen or heard of a situation where in which this bill would be necessary,” the vice president and medical director of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains testified. “The situation that the sponsor is describing does not happen. It conflicts with decades of established medical standards, practices and ethics. Simply put, this is not how abortion care works.”

When pressed for additional information, the Planned Parenthood representative often struggled and fell into an almost unintelligible dance as she tried, and failed, to argue her and the abortion industry’s case. She also acknowledged that there is no plan in place at any Planned Parenthood about how to deal with a baby born alive after an abortion, which in many ways confirms the need for the bill. She just says, “it doesn’t happen,” but I think many abortion survivors would disagree.

Babies are born alive after abortions every year in this country. Though we don’t know how many, we do know that likely only a small percentage, if any, survive. That’s because abortion businesses are designed to take lives and not save them.

Photo by Gage Skidmore