Born-Alive Abortion Bill Passes in Republican-Controlled House

The controversial “Born-Alive” bill, or the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, co-sponsored by Reps. Ann Wagner and Florida Rep. Kat Cammack, passed in the House of Representatives by a vote margin of 220-210.

As expected, the vote came down along party lines, but with a few exceptions.

The sole House Democrat to vote to pass the pro-Life legislative measure was Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar.

Fellow Democrat Vicente Gonzalez did not vote against nor for the bill, but rather voted “present,” which is considered to be a “Yes” vote.

Two Texas Republicans, freshman Rep. Wesley Hunt and Rep. Roger Williams, alongside Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan (R), did not vote on the measure.

Democrats refused to support the Republican bill because they believe that it would compromise a woman’s right to choose, and because they argue that there was similar already legislation in place.

“It’s already in law. I support the current law,” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D) moments before he voted against the bill.

“House Republicans are pushing an anti-choice agenda that is not only harmful to women across Florida but undermines the very fabric of American freedom. The U.S. government has no right to tell a woman what they should do with their body. But after the disastrous Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade last year, we are now witnessing the beginning of radical attacks on reproductive rights. This is only the beginning from extreme Republicans, as they embark down the dark path to undermine access to health care for millions of women,” said Moskowitz in statement to The Floridian.

South Florida Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D) voted against the bill because she contends it (the bill) went against what the majority of Americans believe.

“They support a woman’s right to choose. This bill is just really an attack on a woman’s right to choose, regardless of the name or how they are trying to posture it, and actually goes against what the American people want,” said Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick. “That’s a mother’s right to choose, and that’s also between the patient and the doctor…it’s not for legislators.”

The author of the bill, Rep. Cammack, praised Republican Leadership and her fellow House Republicans for putting the measure to a vote when House Democrats refused to while they had the majority in the House.

For the last several years under Democrat control, the House failed to vote on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. This changed during the first week of the Republican majority," said Rep. Cammack. "It's an honor to not only see this bill pass the House, but to receive overwhelming support from my colleagues. Upholding the value and sanctity of life has been a personal mission for me, and this bill plays a key role in affirming what the American people have always known: life is sacred. I’d like to extend a special thanks to my colleagues Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Congresswoman Ann Wagner for their leadership on this issue, and to all my Republican colleagues who voted for life today."

You can’t kill a child. It the baby is born-alive, you need to keep them alive, don’t you think? How can you vote against that,” questioned Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar.

Rep. Michael Waltz believes also posed a question, when he asked his fellow Democrats, “When does life begin and deserve to be protected?”

Rep. Waltz believes that killing a baby after it is born is in his book, “killing a child, that’s murdering a child.”

The bill will now go to the U.S. Senate where it is not expected to pass in the Democratic-controlled upper chamber.