Democrats in the U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to block the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,” which would guarantee protections for babies born alive after a failed abortion procedure.
In a 52-47 vote, the Senate failed to invoke cloture and proceed with a motion to pass the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,” which requires a two-thirds majority of the Senate for approval. If approved, the legislation would “prohibit a health care practitioner from failing to exercise the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion.”
The bill would also require health care providers to “exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care practitioner would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age.”
According to The Hill, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) addressed the expected resistance from Democrats prior to Wednesday’s vote, saying, “We should all be able to agree that a baby born alive after an attempted abortion must be protected, and yet I fully expect that later today my Democrat colleagues will vote no on this legislation.”
Thune added, “They will vote against protection for a living, breathing newborn baby simply because that child has been born alive after an attempted abortion.”
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) argued that supporting the pro-life legislation “isn’t complicated” and that “babies who survive a failed abortion deserve medical care.” The Republican senator criticized Democrats for blocking the legislation, saying, “It’s truly unbelievable that protecting these precious lives is a partisan issue.”
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Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), who led the push for the reintroduction of the pro-life bill, also released a statement, expressing his disappointment that Democrats blocked the legislation from proceeding. Lankford described the protection proposed under the bill as something “commonsense” that was made “completely partisan” by Democrat senators.
“This bill is straightforward and would save lives,” the Oklahoma senator added. “I believe every life is valuable and that no one is disposable.”
On the other hand, Democrats argued that the legislation proposed by Republicans was “unnecessary.”
“Republicans are pushing an unnecessary messaging bill today. It’s already law: any child born in America regardless of circumstance is afforded equal protection,” the Senate Judiciary Democrats stated in a post on X. “The so-called ‘Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act’ would only harm doctors and women.”
According to The Hill, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) described the legislation as “pernicious as they come.”
“It attacks women’s health care using false narratives and outright fearmongering, and it adds more legal risk for doctors on something that’s already illegal,” Schumer said.
