Iowa’s Democratic U.S. Reps Cindy Axne, Abby Finkenauer, and Dave Loebsack voted with most of the House Democrats to block the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act on Friday afternoon.
Democrats voted down, 187 to 220, a motion to recommit to H.R. 2339, which would have protected babies who survive abortions. The motion to recommit contained the text of H.R. 962, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has blocked the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., from a floor vote, so Republicans offered it as a motion to recommit on a separate bill.
Efforts to bring to a vote with a discharge petition have also failed.
“House Democrats have happily joined their colleagues in the Senate by, once again, voting against protections for babies born during an abortion. Everyone should be able to agree — once a baby is born alive, we should do everything in our power to keep it alive. Yet today, House Democrats shockingly sided with extremists who do not believe babies born alive during an abortion deserve life-saving care. This abortion extremism is disgustingly out of step with the views of American voters and is a direct consequence of political spending by special interests in the big-abortion industry,” House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., said in a released statement. “
While Speaker Pelosi won’t bring the Born-Alive Act up for a vote under regular procedure, House Republicans, as led by Rep. Ann Wagner on the Floor today, will continue to use every tool at our disposal, including my discharge petition, to force the issue until these babies have the protections they deserve under law,” he added.
The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act establishes requirements for the degree of care a health care practitioner must exercise in the event a child is born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion.
It is not an abortion ban; it bans the infanticide all but three Democrats – U.S. Reps. Dan Lipinski of Illinois, Ben McAdams of Utah, and Collin Peterson of Minnesota – voted against the motion.
Pro-life organizations blasted the vote.
“This week, congressional Democrats stood firmly behind the party’s presidential candidates in supporting abortion-on-demand, up until the moment of birth, and even supporting infanticide,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “Americans of all political stripes are disgusted by this extreme, inhumane position, and we are confident that will be reflected at the ballot box this November. President Trump stands ready to sign the popular, compassionate Born-Alive legislation into law. It is national Democrats – from the party’s leading presidential contenders to Nancy Pelosi – who stand squarely in the way of protecting these innocent children from being left to die.”
This vote follows Senate Democrats filibustering the Senate’s version of the bill on Tuesday. That vote fell four votes short of reaching cloture so it could move to a final vote.
Axne and Finkenauer are running for re-election in Iowa’s 3rd and 1st Congressional District, respectfully. Loebsack is retiring after this current term.
