Every single Senate Democrat voted against a measure on Wednesday that would have required life-saving treatment for babies who have been born alive after surviving an abortion.
The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act failed because three-fifths of the Senate majority, or 60 votes, were not acquired. The motion to move the bill forward, a process known as cloture, failed with a vote of 52-47.
Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) did not vote due to a family emergency, The Hill reports. With 47 Democrats voting against it, there can be no debate on the bill and their filibuster will remain in place, ensuring the pro-life measure can’t go forward for a final vote.
As CBN News reported, The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act would require doctors and healthcare workers to provide the same medical care to infants surviving abortions as infants born during normal childbirth.
Currently, there is federal legislation to ensure babies surviving an abortion get medical assistance, but there is no criminal enforcement to punish those who refuse to provide lifesaving care, Life News reports.
Republican Sen. James Lankford (OK), Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), and Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) introduced the bill just days before March for Life, the nation’s largest annual pro-life demonstration.
“No child should be denied medical care simply because they are ‘unwanted.’ Today, if an abortion procedure fails and a child is born alive, doctors can just ignore the crying baby on the table and watch them slowly die of neglect. That’s not an abortion, that’s infanticide,” said Senator Lankford.
Just because a baby can’t defend herself, doesn’t mean she’s disposable—it means she’s vulnerable. My bill would have protected the lives of the most vulnerable. pic.twitter.com/FJP3Tf7Ft3
— Sen. James Lankford (@SenatorLankford) January 22, 2025
EVERY Senate Democrat just voted AGAINST my bill with Senator Lankford that would provide lifesaving care to newborns who survive abortions. This isn’t about politics. This is basic human dignity. Very disappointing!” said Banks.
“Any baby born into this world, including those who survive an abortion attempt, must receive the medical care they need. The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act would protect the most vulnerable babies and combat radical policies that effectively enable infanticide. I will continue to be a voice for the voiceless, fight to defend life, and support mothers and families across our nation,” Britt said.
Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is one of the bill’s many co-sponsors.
“This shouldn’t be a controversial bill,” he said before the vote. “We should all be able to agree that a baby born alive after an attempted abortion must be protected. And yet, I fully expect today that my Democratic colleagues will vote not on this legislation.”
“What it all boils down to is this…Democrats will oppose legislation to provide appropriate medical care to newborn children who survive abortions because they are afraid. They are afraid that if they recognize the humanity of a living breathing, born baby in an abortion clinic, it might end up pointing to the humanity of the unborn baby in the abortion clinic.”
A baby born alive after an attempted abortion should be entitled to the same protection and medical care that any other newborn baby is entitled to.
This shouldn’t be a controversial bill. pic.twitter.com/tq2wqpNpeC
— Leader John Thune (@LeaderJohnThune) January 22, 2025
“After all, once you recognize the humanity of the newly born baby, it gets a little harder to say that that child wasn’t human just a few minutes ago simply because he or she wasn’t yet born,” Thune said
House Republicans passed their version of the bill when they retook control in 2023 and reintroduced it earlier this month.
A baby being born alive after an attempted abortion is considered to be rare, but it does happen.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 2003 and 2014 there were 143 known instances of an infant being born alive after an abortion.
However, the real numbers are expected to be higher as most states do not keep track of how many infants are born alive after an abortion.
Research by the American Center for Law and Justice estimated that there were at least 362 such cases between 2001 and 2010.
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