House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (LA) and his colleagues announced a hearing on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, legislation that would protect babies born alive after abortion from infanticide.
The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, September 10 at 1:00 p.m. ET. A livestream of the hearing can be found here.
House Democrats have refused to take up the measure, H.R. 962, that states infants who survive abortion deserve the same treatment and care as any other newborn.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrat leaders have blocked a vote on the bill more than 80 times.
Scalise and Rep. Ann Wagner (MO) filed a discharge petition on the legislation in April. All 197 House Republicans, but only three Democrats, have signed onto the petition. In order to bypass Pelosi and force a vote on the Born-Alive Act, House Republicans need 17 more signatures – which they hope to obtain after a hearing presents the facts given by experts on abortion.
Pro-life leaders explained signing the discharge petition makes sense.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List), said in a statement:
This compassionate legislation should have passed easily six months ago considering the overwhelming majority of Americans – including 70 percent of Democrats – support it, but Speaker Pelosi and House Democratic Party leaders have blocked pro-life Republicans’ requests for a vote more than 80 times. Once again, we urge House Democrats from Republican-leaning districts to listen to their constituents and sign Whip Scalise’s discharge petition to hold a vote on this lifesaving bill.
Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, said he and his colleagues will visit House members – some of whom have already agreed to meet with them – to ask them to sign the discharge petition.
“They don’t even have to vote for the bill, all they have to do is sign the petition so the House can vote on the bill,” he explained.
“It’s a very simple thing we’re asking,” Pavone continued. “The vast majority of Americans support a bill to save babies who survive abortion. And despite the pro-abortion lobby’s insistence that this doesn’t happen, it is a matter of public record that it does.”
Similarly, Tim Chapman, executive director of Heritage Action, said the bill is “bipartisan, commonsense legislation that could save the life of a baby born after a failed abortion.”
He added:
The fact that Speaker Pelosi refuses to hold a floor vote on this bill tells us all she’s afraid of the American people knowing where their elected representatives stand on infanticide. This is not a pro-life versus pro-choice bill; this is a vote for basic human rights. Every member should sign the discharge petition.
Witnesses to appear at the hearing are Jill Stanek, RN, a nurse who discovered an infant with Down syndrome who had survived an abortion; Robin Pierucci, M.D., neonatologist and neonatal intensive-care unit medical director; former abortionist and retired OB/GYN Kathi Aultman, M.D.; and Tessa Longbons, research associate with the Charlotte Lozier Institute, the research arm of SBA List.
“Minority Whip Steve Scalise and the members involved in this hearing have gone to great lengths to hear testimony on why Congress must act to protect infants born alive after a failed abortion,” said Tony Perkins, Family Research Council president, in a statement. “It reflects the sad state of our politics today that Speaker Nancy Pelosi is actively blocking even a vote on a commonsense law against infanticide.”
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