Two hundred two House members signed the petition to bring the "Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act" to the floor for a vote.
Pro-life legislators Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), Steve Scalise (R-La.), the House Whip, and Representative Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) filed a discharge petition that would bring the bill to the House floor for a vote, reports Live Action.
The petition, according to the report, requires 218 signatures from House members and will need 5 more from the Democrats if it is to be realized. At present, the House has 213 Republicans.
"I will not stop working until this legislation becomes law, so newborns have a chance at life when they are at their most vulnerable," says Rep. Wagner. "For too long, Nancy Pelosi has blocked my commonsense legislation that protects the innocent lives of children born alive. We must take a stand and tell her the American people want the Born-Alive Act passed and signed into law."
The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act will ensure the safety of infants who survived abortions by giving them rightful recognition as persons that must be treated "with the same human dignity, respect, and treatment as any baby born after an attempted live birth."
A provision to punish those who would intentionally perform or attempt to abort a child born alive was also included in the bill. Those found guilty will be fined or face imprisonment for up to five years.
The report went on to note that there were over 30,000 medical professionals from the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Pediatricians, Christian Medical & Dental Associations, Catholic Medical Association and Association of American Physicians and Surgeons who openly expressed support for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.
"There is no scientific or legal reason to distinguish between human beings born after an attempted abortion and human beings born after attempted live birth," they said in their joint statement.
"In cases where the mother's life actually is in danger in the latter half of pregnancy, there is not time for an abortion... We can, and do, save the life of the mother through delivery of an intact infant in a hospital where both the mother and her newborn can receive the care that they need. There is no medical reason to intentionally kill that fetal human being," they added.
Humanizing the Debate on Abortion
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), at least 143 babies were born alive after an attempted abortion between 2003 and 2014. The data were derived from the eight states that reported. There could be a lot more that were left unaccounted from other states.
The pro-life news outlet added the civil trial of Liberty Counsel's client Sandra Merritt who reportedly exposed Planned Parenthood for selling baby parts.
"In Liberty Counsel's defense of Sandra Merritt, the evidence has clearly exposed evidence that some abortionists are birthing children alive to dissect them - while they are still alive," said Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver.
Staver continued that a 'no' vote on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act must be deemed indefensible.
"We are talking about infanticide, " he said. "We must continue to fight for the preborn and newborn and restore a culture of life to America."
