Listen to “House GOP Tries to Force Vote on Infanticide Ban” on Spreaker.
House Republicans are now trying to force a vote on legislation requiring medical care for babies who are born following attempted abortions, after Democrats rejected numerous GOP efforts to get a vote on the infanticide ban.
On Tuesday, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise brought a discharge petition to the House floor so members could sign it. If a majority of House members sign on, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be required to call for a vote.
“Let the members vote to end, frankly, infanticide in America,” said Americans United for Life Chief Legal Officer Steven Aden, who was in the chamber for the signings and at a press conference later in the day.
So far the discharge petition has 190 signatures, meaning Republicans are at least a couple dozen signatures short of a majority. But the petition stays open for the remainder of the current Congress, which runs through the end of 2020. Aden is not giving up and thinks more Democrats will join the effort if they feel the heat from their constituents.
“We’re hopeful, but they need to hear from the American people,” said Aden.
Democrats offer a series of objections to the legislation, the most common being that infanticide is already banned through the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act, which was passed in the early days of the George W. Bush administration.
Aden says that law is good but there’s a major problem with it.
“Unfortunately, that bill was a paper tiger. It simply states that infants that are born alive after an abortion are persons and ought to receive medical attention but there’s no teeth to it,” said Aden.
Listen to the full podcast top hear Aden explain why he believes organizations like Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America are so ardently opposed to saving the lives of babies living outside their mothers.
