Nancy Pelosi and Democrats Block Bill to Stop Infanticide For 42nd Time, Refuse Care for Babies Born Alive

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   May 15, 2019   |   9:05AM   |   Washington, DC

Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats continue to refuse a request to allow a vote on the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, legislation that would stop infanticide and provide medical care and treatment for babies who survive abortions.

Late Tuesday, House Democrats refused a vote on the bill for the 42nd time — reading the same statement they have read the previous 41 occasions that claims there is no bipartisan agreement to bring the bill up for a vote. Despite the claim, Republican leaders have repeatedly asked Pelosi and top Democrats to reach an agreement for the bill to receive a vote.

This is the 44th time in total that Congressional Democrats thwarted an attempt by Republicans to vote on a bill that would provide medical care and treatment for babies who provide survived failed abortions — 42 times in the House and twice in the Senate.

Republican Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) offered the unanimous consent request to allow a vote on the anti-infanticide bill but Democrats, as shown below, ruled it out of order. As they have done numerous times, after Democrats denied the request to vote on the bill, they cut off Congressman Rose’s microphone so he could not object to their denying a vote.

Rose said on Twitter after Democrats blocked the anti-infanticide bill: “Today, Democrats tried to silence us yet again as I urged a vote on the #BornAliveAct. They can silence our microphones, but they can never silence our voices in speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

The denial comes days after Democrats voted to fund infanticide. LHHS Ranking Member Tom Cole (R-OK) offered an amendment to withhold funds to any medical entity that does not ensure that any infant born alive following an abortion receives the same medical care as any other infant born at the same gestational age. Every Republican voted for the pro-life amendment to stop infanticide while every Democrat on the committee, except Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar, voted for infanticide.

In April, Republican Whip Steve Scalise and Representative Ann Wagner moved forward with a discharge petition to force Speaker Pelosi to schedule a vote. That’s a petition any member of Congress can sign to allow legislation to move out of committee and to the House floor when the party controlling Congress refuses to allow a vote on it.

So far, 199 members have signed on, including three Democrats — short of the majority necessary to get the bill to the floor for a vote.

SIGN THE PETITION: Stop Infanticide! Stop Abortions Up to Birth!

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a leading House member, discussed the discharge petition in a recent interview with the Daily Signal.

“It’s just heartbreaking. I was disheartened by the vote, 44 senators that voted against legislation that would protect babies who were born alive, babies that had survived an abortion, were outside the womb, and yet they were not willing to bring in the insurer under law that they would bring in the doctor’s care,” she said. “In years past, this is passed with unanimous consent in the Senate. So it really exposed the extreme position that the left is taking right now, that Democrats are saying they reject legislation to protect babies born alive.”

“In the House, we are moving forward with a discharge petition. As you know, the Democrats have the majority in the House. One way that we can bring a bill to the floor is to demand a discharge petition,” she added. “You have to get 218 people to sign a discharge petition, and then you can bypass Speaker Nancy Pelosi and bring the bill directly to the floor. We’re working actively on that right now.”

Republicans would need all GOP members to sign the petition, along with 21 Democrats. Rodgers said she hoped polling data showing Americans strongly oppose infanticide would help change members’ minds.

The blocking of a vote on a bill to stop infanticide come even as national polling shows Americans — including people who are “pro-choice” on abortion — oppose abortion up to birth and infanticide. And doctors indicate abortions are never needed to protect a woman’s health and women admit having abortions on healthy babies.

And a new poll finds a massive 17 percent shift in the pro-life direction after Democrats have pushed abortions up to birth and infanticide nationally.

H.R. 962, the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, introduced by Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO), ensures that a baby born alive after a failed or attempted abortion receives the same medical care as any other newborn. It would also penalize doctors who allow such infants to die or who intentionally kill a newborn following a failed abortion.

Every single Democrat in the Senate who is running for president voted against a bill that would stop infanticide and provide medical care and treatment for babies who are born alive after botched abortions. That includes Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Amy Klobuchar.

While they all voted to support infanticide, President Trump spoke out against infanticide in two tweets saying that it’s nothing short of “executing” babies to let them die after failed abortions.

ACTION: Contact members of Congress and urge them to sign the Discharge Petition to bring the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act to the House floor for a vote.