Every Senate Democrat Votes Against Protecting Babies Born Alive From Botched Abortion

Every Senate Democrat on Wednesday afternoon voted against protecting the lives of babies born alive after botched abortions.

The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, introduced by Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Jim Banks, R-Ind., states that a baby born alive from a failed abortion deserves the same protection and medical care as other newborns.

“Almost every American agrees that a baby that takes their first breath deserves the same right to life as the rest of us do,” Banks said. “I won’t give up this fight for common sense legislation to save the most vulnerable.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., brought the bill to a vote on Wednesday. He spoke on behalf of the bill on the Senate floor prior to the vote, saying he expected Democrats to oppose the bill. He was correct.

Republicans’ motion for cloture on Wednesday failed with a vote of 52-47.

“Democrats are afraid that by recognizing the humanity of the newly born child, they will inadvertently point to the humanity of the unborn child,” Thune said. “And I do understand where they’re coming from. After all, once you recognize the humanity of the newly born baby, it gets a little harder to say that that child wasn’t human just a few minutes ago simply because he or she wasn’t yet born.”

“And so, because there is nothing more important to Democrats than abortion, they will vote against legislation to provide appropriate medical care to babies born alive in an abortion clinic, just in case such a law ends up jeopardizing their cherished, quote, ‘right’ to an abortion,” Thune continued.

Sen. Pete Ricketts, a pro-life senator from Nebraska, also spoke in favor of the bill.

In 2023, House Democrats nearly unanimously voted against the bill. It passed the House 220-210, with one Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, voting with Republicans in favor of the bill, and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, voting present.

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