In 2019, former Virginia Governor Ralph Northam made infanticidal comments on a radio station that were seared into the collective conscience of pro-life Americans.
His cold, callous and calculated words discussed what would happen to an infant born alive after a failed third-trimester abortion.
“If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen,” the governor began. “The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”
At the very least, Gov. Northam was clearly supporting allowing at least some infants, born alive after a failed abortion, to die.
His comments sparked instant outrage across the nation, and led to the U.S. Senate to take up and vote on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (S. 311), which would have “protect[ed] babies born alive in botched abortion procedures.”
Tragically, the bill failed 53-44 that year, despite receiving bipartisan support.
Since then, the fight to protect newly born infants has largely moved to the states, including in former Governor Northam’s home state of Virginia, where House Bill 304 (HB 304) recently passed through the Virginia House of Delegates.
The bill requires that abortionists who attempt to kill a preborn baby, but is then born alive, do two things:
- Exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of an infant who has been born alive following such attempt as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care practitioner would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age.
- Take all reasonable steps to ensure the immediate transfer of the infant who has been born alive to a hospital for further medical care.
The bill passed through the Virginia House on February 16 in a 52-48 vote.
Virginia state Representative Nick Freitas, who introduced the bill, defended it on the floor of the House, saying that if an infant is born alive, “We are certainly telling a medical professional that we do expect them to intervene at that point, because they do have a patient, it’s called the child.”
In a nonsensical attack on HB 304, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia’s executive director Jamie Lockhart argued that “There is no space for politicians in the exam room when a patient is making decisions about their pregnancy.”
But the bill regulates what abortionists are required to do after a baby has been born. It has nothing to do with whether or not a woman can choose to get an abortion – only what an abortionist is required to do if a baby is born alive during their attempt to kill him or her.
Pro-abortion advocates also like to argue that the problem of babies surviving failed abortions is nonexistent.
But as The Daily Citizen reported in 2019, in three states (Minnesota, Florida and Arizona), 40 babies were born alive following failed abortions over the course of just three years.
Frequently, abortionists will simply provide “comfort care” to these newborns, without trying to save their lives. They do this by wrapping them in a blanket to keep them warm, until they die.
It’s a barbaric practice.
So, we can all pray that Old Dominion will soon join the number of states which have laws protecting these newborn babies.
Photo from Shutterstock.
