Republican Senator Ben Sasse introduced a bill that would ban infanticide for those babies who survive an abortion, but it was blocked by Democrat Senator Patty Murray (D-WA).
Sasse’s bill, titled “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,” would require doctors to administer aid to infants who had survived an attempted abortion.
Sasse requested a unanimous consent vote, assuming everyone could agree that ending the life of a baby that has been born would be easy to agree on.
“Frankly, this shouldn’t be hard,” he said from the Senate floor Monday evening.
“Just a few years ago, the abortion lobby was really clear in its talk about hoping abortion would be … safe, legal, and rare,” he continued. “Now we’re talking about keeping the baby comfortable while the doctors have a debate about infanticide.”
“You’re either for babies, or you’re defending infanticide … please, don’t let Governor Northam define you,” Sasse said, presenting a clear choice.
In this country, all of us are created equal. If that equality means anything, surely it means that infanticide is wrong. Frankly, this shouldn’t be hard. pic.twitter.com/9MyPVGpw7p
— Senator Ben Sasse (@SenSasse) February 5, 2019
It Was Blocked
Turns out, the choice was hard. Murray objected to the measure, claiming it misinterpreted legislation out of Virginia even though the Governor there fully admitted a baby could be born, made comfortable, and then the mother and doctors could decide if it lived.
“The infant would be kept comfortable,” Northam said during a radio interview. “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.”
“This is a gross misinterpretation of the actual language of the bill that is being asked to be considered and, therefore, I object,” Murray claimed even though you can see from the quotes above it was anything but a ‘misinterpretation.’
I’m told that @PattyMurray was the only Senate Democrat to come to the floor tonight. After she objected to @SenSasse’s born-alive bill that would prohibit infanticide, she left immediately.
— Alexandra DeSanctis (@xan_desanctis) February 5, 2019
Stating that Virginia pro-infanticide legislation had been misinterpreted is provably false. Using it as a reason to not ban abortion after birth is flat-out bananas.
If it was misinterpreted as she claims, then there would be no reason to avoid preventing infanticide. You’d literally be voting to stop something you think would not happen in the first place.
Republicans Respond
It took no time at all for Republican lawmakers to slam Murray for blocking the measure to ban infanticide.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the bill was “legislation that ought to be the very definition of something that receives unanimous consent in this body” adding “it’s harrowing that this legislation is even necessary.”
“Politicians have not only defended aborting a child while a woman is in labor, but have gone so far as to support the termination of a child after his or her birth,” Iowa Senator Joni Ernst explained.
“A child. A baby. Rationality, decency, and basic human compassion have fallen by the wayside.”
