They've been shouted down, cut off mid-sentence, even had their microphones turned off. But today, House Republicans aren't taking no for an answer. After 25 trips to the floor, asking liberal leaders to do the right thing, pro-lifers are determined to stop the killing of born-alive babies -- no matter what it takes.
This morning, on the steps of the Capitol, conservatives had a message for Democrats: they can't hide from this issue any longer. As of this week, Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) are officially reaching for the discharge petition to force Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) hand. "This is one tool we have, especially as the minority party, to try to bring very important and critical legislation to a vote," Scalise told reporters. If Democrats are going to block the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Act, then, he vowed, "we are taking matters in our own hands."
Under House rules, it will take every single Republican and 21 Democrats to free the bill from the majority's grip. Frankly, it shouldn't be hard. After all, the measure has absolutely nothing to do with abortion -- and everything to do with protecting living, breathing, newborn children. "This shouldn't even be a debate," Scalise said in frustration. And the American people agree! Eighty-two percent of this country -- including 70 percent of Pelosi's own party -- think leaving innocent babies to die on a hospital table is a bridge no civilized country should cross.
"You deserve to know: Where does your representative stand on stopping infanticide?" For at least three Democrats, there's no question. To the relief of their constituents, Congressmen Henry Cuellar (D-Tex.), Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), and Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) not only support the GOP's crusade, they're cosponsors of it. Could there be 18 more? "If just a handful of Democrats have the courage to join us, hundreds of newborns across the U.S. will have a legally-protected chance to live a happy, productive life," Scalise and Wagner wrote on Fox News. "Together, we can end infanticide and protect babies who are born alive."
To the people who wonder if this bill is necessary, they argue, take a long hard look at the Abortion Survivors Network. This isn't a hypothetical to Melissa Ohden, who "was a victim of an attempted saline abortion in which she was burned, born, and later saved by the grace of a nurse who 'couldn't just leave me there to die' and rushed her to a neonatal intensive care unit in a hospital for treatment. Some abortion survivors, like Melissa, publicly advocate for abortion survivor protection laws, and even more survivors live quietly as regular, productive Americans. However, hundreds of living, breathing newborn abortion survivors are not given a chance at life and are left to die in utility closets, buckets, or toilets."
Right now, only six states collect the statistics of born-alive survivors. Imagine how many thousands of other nameless babies go unreported, victims of this myth that infanticide isn't a real issue -- or worse, a personal "choice" for moms and doctors to decide. That must stop. "We cannot discriminate between children who are wanted and children who are unwanted," Wagner and Scalise insist. "All newborns deserve the opportunity to lead a long, happy life."
You can help. Join with FRC and the pro-life leaders of the House in Ending Birth Day Abortion. Tens of thousands of you have already signed up to send a newborn hat to Nancy Pelosi to remind her of the cost of the Democrats' extremism. Stand with us! Then, if you live in a Democratic district, take the time to contact your representative and ask them to support the discharge petition. As FRC's Patrina Mosley urged in her Hill op-ed, "For those... House Democrats who may feel a sense of duty to stand with their party, I offer this word of comfort: Fear not. To vote for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act will not turn you into a Republican -- or even a pro-lifer -- just someone whose conscience has not been fully seared... We've got to be clear on where we stand on this as a country."
Tony Perkins' Washington Update is written with the aid of FRC senior writers.
