Two left-wing pro-abortion governors recently vetoed bills that would have protected babies born alive after a botched abortion.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) vetoed the bills.
In Kansas, H.B. 2313 would require reporting of abortion survivors, which many states do not track. And, the measure would have provided infants born after a failed abortion the same human rights and legal protections of babies born prematurely.
“Ralph Northam may have faded into political obscurity but his infanticidal view on babies who survive abortion lives on through Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly,” SBA Pro-Life America’s Western Regional Director Adam Schwend said in a statement. “It’s disturbing to see Gov. Kelly, Kansas Democrats and the abortion industry attempt to pretend a whole group of people doesn’t exist, when the Abortion Survivors Network is located right in Kansas City.”
“We should all be concerned with how they’re trying to dehumanize this group of people, and we look forward to the Kansas Legislature representing the view of the people in overriding Gov. Kelly’s heartless veto,” Schwend added.
In Arizona, Hobbs vetoed S.B. 1600, which would have “[forced] doctors to provide possibly painful medical treatment to fetuses that have no chance of survival,” according to the AZ Mirror.
Melissa Ohden, a survivor of abortion and the Founder of the Abortion Survivors Network, commented on Hobbs’ veto.
“Arizona deserves better than Gov. Hobb’s veto of this bill. We remain committed to serving survivors of abortion at any gestational age, along with their mothers, who deserve compassionate prenatal and postpartum care, a delivery plan and emotional support.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the majority of abortions occur within the first trimester of pregnancy. As pregnancy progresses, the chances of a baby being born alive from a botched abortion increases. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops noted that partial-birth abortions occur in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy to end a pregnancy. In this method, a baby is delivered partially before it is killed.
According to AbortionSurvivors.org, most failed abortion attempts result in a second abortion attempt. A “born alive abortion” specifically pertains to an abortion that results in a child being born and is surviving outside of its mother. Only 10 states require reporting on these cases. The average number of abortion survivors recorded each year is 1,734. An estimated total of abortion survivors is 85,817 since 1973, the year Roe v. Wade became law. Roe was overturned last summer.