Senate Democrats Shut Down Late-Term Abortion Bans, Born-Alive Protections

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Feb 26, 2020

Senate Democrats blocked a vote on two major pro-life bills in the legislative chamber on Tuesday, leaving little doubt that the party is wholly united behind support for unlimited abortion.

The two laws that were blocked were the The Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act and the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protections Act.

The first law would prohibit abortion being enacted upon children who survive abortion procedures. Some Democrats have suggested that it’s fair game to carry out ghoulish abortion procedures on babies who are alive.

The second bill would’ve instituted bans on abortions enacted upon fetuses that are capable of pain. Such a ban would affect late-term abortions, most notably rare procedures that are carried out on fetuses that are more than 20 weeks into development.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer chalked up the blocking of the pro-life bills as a political move. He claimed the consideration of laws was merely a gambit to embarrass Democrats.

In remarks after the bills were blocked from a formal floor vote, he seemed wholly unreflective as to why it was right to dismiss legislation that would institute relatively tame and common-sense restrictions on widely unpopular late-term abortion procedures.

Pennsylvania’s Bob Casey, West Virginia’s Joe Manchin and Alabama Doug Jones were the only Democrats to vote to bring the Born Alive law up for further consideration on the Senate floor. The laws would’ve required 60 votes to advance beyond the Senate flilbuster, a margin they both failed to reach.

Republican Senators blasted the chamber’s Democrats for their extremist unwillingness to consider even the most mild of restrictions on late-term abortion.

The votes to shut down pro-life laws that are fundamentally limited in scope makes it hard for Democrats to argue that they aren’t the party of Ralph Northam.