Senate Democrats Vote Down Infanticide Bill

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WASHINGTON (ChurchMilitant.com) - Senate Democrats voted 53-44 against a measure that would have provided medical care to babies born alive after botched abortions.

The Senate vote for the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act took place Monday, and failed to meet the minimum 60 votes to overcome the filibuster.

Not all Democrats voted against the bill. Three Democrats — Doug Jones (Ala.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Bob Casey, Jr. (Pa.) — joined Republicans in voting to pass the pro-life measure. Republican Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) abstained from voting. Republican Senators Tim Scott and Kevin Cramer would have voted in support of it but were unable to be present.

Reaction to the failed measure was swift. Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro tweeted, "Repulsive. Tell me more about how our children are threatened by climate change while voting not to protect children born alive, Senators."

Catholic writer Matt Walsh called the Democratic Party "evil beyond words."

Ryan Saavedra of The Daily Wire noted that every Democrat running for president next year voted against the measure.

Lila Rose of Live Action also tweeted the names of Democrat presidential hopefuls.

Father Frank Pavone, executive director of Priests for Life, made clear this would be an election day issue.

Benjamin Weingarten of The Federalist called it an "abomination."

In comments shortly after the vote, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) said the vote "made it crystal clear" that Democrats "support the legalization of infanticide ... ."

Republican Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.) introduced the bill in the wake of New York's abortion law passed last month, the most radical abortion measure in the history of the country, which would allow killing of an unborn child for practically any reason up to the moment of birth — and even after birth, if it's the result of a botched abortion.

"What this bill does is try to secure basic rights, equal rights, for babies that are born and survive outside the womb," Sassie said on the Senate floor before voting took place.

"I urge my colleagues to picture a baby that's already been born, that's outside the womb gasping for air," Sasse said. "That's the only thing that today's vote is actually about. We're talking about babies that have already been born."

Democrats argued that the new bill would restrict doctors' options on how to handle babies with serious medical conditions, arguing that the 2002 Born Alive Infants Protection Act already provides basic protections against infanticide. Sasse's bill would have built on the 2002 law, clarifying what steps doctors must take to save such babies, including immediately sending them to the hospital.

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