RIGHT SPEAK: Senate Democrats Insist Babies Born Alive After Abortions Should Be Left To Die

Why should one baby down the hall be given care while another is left to die? Sen. Joni Ernst asked the Senate Judiciary Committee. Not one Democrat in the room could answer the question.

The Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act is not about restricting abortions but about giving newborns a chance to survive no matter where they are born, said Sen. Ben Sasse, the bill’s lead co-sponsor, at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday.

During the hearing, called “The Infant Patient: Ensuring Appropriate Medical Care for Children Born Alive,” Republican senators questioned why a baby born in a hospital should be treated differently than a baby born in an abortion facility. Democrats, lacking an answer, changed the subject.

Thirteen committee senators heard from five female witnesses, three who shared powerful testimony and two who expressed concerns about the bill.

Babies Are Just Like Any Other Patients

The first witness was Dr. Robin Pierucci, a neonatologist who has spent her career caring for babies born too early. All babies born alive should be cared for, she said. She referred to the Neonatal Resuscitation Program, which provides guidelines for helping a baby transition from intrauterine to extrauterine life. The program defines the standard of care medical staff is responsible for providing to babies born alive.

Pierucci explained that all doctors should promise to provide this standard of care to all human beings. “There is no ethical reason why this medical standard of care should be abandoned for a subgroup of people because they might be less ‘wanted’ than others; wanted-ness does not determine humanness,” she said.

Pierucci pointed out that treating babies differently just because of who delivered them, where they were delivered, or their condition at birth is wrong. “It would be an abandonment of my medical and ethical duty if I only responded to the need of some babies and not to others.”

“We too should never allow a baby, especially a baby, to die anywhere but in the warmth of our arms, nestled securely against our hearts,” she argued. She finished by clarifying that all babies born alive are real patients, and just like every other patient, medical care should be available and medical professionals should have necessary training to stabilize them.