. Two hundred eighteen signatures are required to get around Democratic leadership.){kind=link}
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) is moving a discharge petition forward next week that will mandate a vote on a bill requiring doctors and medical staff to offer the same care to babies that survive abortions as those who never underwent the procedure. With so many babies being killed after failed abortions, Scalise believes there must be a measure in place to protect the rights of these infants.
He is spearheading the effort to pass the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act along with Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.). Two hundred eighteen signatures are required to get around Democratic leadership.
“Next week, on April 2, next Tuesday, I will be formally filing the discharge petition on the Born Alive Act,” said Scalise. “Ann Wagner will be my first signator and there are a lot of members that want to sign that, and frankly we’re going to find out real soon which Democrats truly are pro-life.”
“So, you know, for all the Democrats who ran saying they were pro-life, this is going to be the true test,” the Louisiana Republican continued. “There are a lot of people a lot of the country that are interested in this. This is an issue that has gotten a lot more attention and as it gets more attention people are shocked that a baby that can be killed after it’s born alive, outside the womb, including many pro-choice people who don’t support that procedure.”
The effort to force a vote unsurprisingly comes after the controversial comments made by Virginia Governor Ralph Northman (D) last month.
“If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen: the infant would be delivered; the infant would be kept comfortable; the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired,” said Northman. “And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”
The Born Alive Act has become a major topic of interest among House Republicans since the unsettling remarks went viral. GOP lawmakers have attempted to pass the Act with unanimous consent 20 times since the 116th Congress started, and Democrats have blocked the request every time.