This is the response by Senator Dick Durbin about the bill S.311. Evidently he does not even recognize a baby outside of the womb as a human being. Just another disagreement, not many more millions murdered. S.311 protects babies born! It is not abortion, it is infanticide! No excuses! If you are willing to protect the LGTBQ community with laws that are already in place that protect them, then why not protect these living babies in the same way? Let Senator Durbin know that you disagree.
March 7, 2019
Mr. Timothy Barr
229 Washington Place
Freeport, IL 61032-5171
Dear Mr. Barr:
Thank you for contacting me about the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (S. 311). Though we disagree on this issue, I respect your deeply held views.
I believe that abortion should be safe and legal, consistent with Roe v. Wade. A decision that personal is best left to a woman, her family, her doctor, and her conscience. Although abortion is an issue that has divided Americans, I believe we can acknowledge a woman’s right to access safe reproductive health care services, while working to reduce the number of abortions.
The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, introduced by Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, was introduced with the stated purpose of ensuring that infants born alive during a failed abortion were not subsequently killed. …
Under current federal law, it is already illegal for anyone—including a health care provider—to murder a newborn infant, including those who were born alive during the course of a failed abortion. In 2002, Congress passed and then-President Bush signed into law the Born Alive Infants Protection Act (Public Law 107-207). This law provides that all federal protections for persons also apply to every infant born as a result of an “induced abortion.” I strongly support this law as it protects newborn infants, regardless of how they came into this world.
In 2013, a Pennsylvania doctor who was responsible for murdering babies after botched abortions was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder. Dr. Kermit Gosnell was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Gosnell case demonstrates that our nation already has laws in place that protect newborn infants.
Despite these existing protections, Senator Sasse introduced the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which I believe would only vilify women who need later-term abortions and the medical providers who perform them. While Senate Republicans have refused to hold any hearings on this legislation, we know that Senator Sasse’s bill would dictate exactly what type of medical care a doctor or nurse must provide and impose new criminal penalties, including jail time, on providers who do not comply with the new requirements.
The bill would have resulted in Congress dictating medical care to health care providers—something Congress traditionally does not do. A number of medical organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Nurse-Midwives, the American Medical Women’s Association, the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health, Physicians for Reproductive Health, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine opposed this bill.
Abortions later in pregnancy are extremely rare in this country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, abortions after 21 weeks make up fewer than 1.3 percent of all abortions in the United States, and abortions after 24 weeks make up fewer than 1 percent. When later-term abortions happen, they can hardly be considered elective. Later-term abortions often happen in very difficult situations, such as when the life of the mother is in danger or when a severe and fatal fetal abnormality has been diagnosed. In cases where lethal fetal anomalies or complications that endanger a woman’s life exist, our government should not mandate the appropriate medical response.
On February 25, 2019, the Senate voted to block consideration of the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, denying the 60 votes needed to proceed. I understand that we may disagree on this issue, but I will keep your thoughts in mind should the Senate consider abortion legislation in the future.
Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator