Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) introduced the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would provide medical care to babies born after botched abortions. Doctors would be required to provide medical care to a baby who survived an abortion, just as they would with any other patient. If doctors failed to provide care he or she would face criminal charges.
"I want to ask each and every one of my colleagues whether or not we're OK with infanticide," Sasse asked his colleagues.
But when the bill came to the Senate floor for a vote on Monday, Democrats filibustered. The GOP was only able to muster up 53 votes. They needed 60 to overcome the filibuster.
Pro-choice advocates argue this legislation is meant to keep women from having access to abortion.
“The bill is solely meant to intimidate doctors and restrict patients’ access to care and has nothing, nothing, nothing to do with protecting children,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on the chamber floor.
But pro-life advocates disagreed.
“It isn’t about new restrictions on abortion. It isn’t about changing the options available to women. It’s just about recognizing that a newborn baby is a newborn baby. Period,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
After the vote, McConnell expressed his disdain for Democrats.
“Evidently the far left is no longer convinced that all babies are created equal,” McConnell said, according to POLITICO.
Although the pro-life movement lost today, Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion group, said this could is just the beginning of the debate.
"This bill is important in itself but it‘s also important as a set up for the coming election, where there will be a stark contrast between the president of the United States and any one of the Democratic nominees," SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser told POLITICO. "We're seeing a gradual movement to hammer a wedge right into the middle of the Democratic Party, and at some point soon here, they're just going to have to cry mercy."
Democratic Sens. Bob Casey, Doug Jones and Joe Manchin crossed the aisle to vote in favor of the bill. No Republicans objected.
It's interesting to note that all six Democrats running for president in 2020 voted against the bill. The list includes Sens. Cory Booker (NJ), Sherrod Brown (OH), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Kamala Harris (CA.), Amy Klobuchar (MN), and Elizabeth Warren (MA.). Independent Bernie Sanders (VT) also voted in line with Democrats.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member