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House Republicans on Jan. 11 approved two pro-life measures.
The first measure passed by the House would ban abortion on babies born alive and require that these babies be given medical care and treatment.
This bill was the first of the two to be considered by lawmakers. When brought to the floor, Democrats attempted and failed to have the bill sent back to committee. That motion failed by a vote of 212–219.
Ultimately, the bill passed the House by a vote of 220–210. One Democrat voted in favor of the measure, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), while all other Democrats opposed the measure.
Republicans lauded the bill as a “common sense” measure that would ensure that infants born alive after a failed abortion attempt would receive medical attention.
Democrats tied their opposition to the measure to claims that it is part of a larger GOP plot to ban abortion nationwide.Republican Opposition to ‘Born Alive’ Bill
Despite broad GOP support, the bill banning abortions on infants born alive did face some criticisms from within the majority party.
Many Republicans have expressed concerns that Republicans’ position on abortion was in part responsible for their underperformance in the 2022 midterm elections.
This was the case made by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who argued that the bill was “tone-deaf.”
“It’s tone-deaf at this point. It’s never going to pass the Senate. It’s never going to get to the president’s desk to be signed into law,” Mace told reporters on Jan. 10. “We’re only paying lip service to the pro-life movement. If you want to make a difference and reduce the number of abortions with a Democrat-controlled Senate, the No. 1 issue we should be working on is access to birth control.
“We have been tone-deaf on this issue since the time that Roe was overturned. We buried our heads in the sand,” she added. “We didn’t have any policy alternatives. We were not compassionate to both sides of the aisle on this argument.”
Mace, who has been critical of President Donald Trump, beat out Trump-backed challenger Katie Arrington in her party’s primary in a district that voted for Biden in 2020.Crisis Pregnancy Centers
The other measure condemned a spurt of growing attacks against crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs).
In a speedy vote after the “born alive” bill, the House passed the measure by a vote of 222–209, including Cuellar and two other Democrats who approved the measure.
Crisis pregnancy centers are nonprofits founded for the purpose of providing counseling, support, and resources to persuade women against having an abortion. Often, services provided by these organizations include financial assistance, child-rearing resources, and adoption referrals, among others.
Specifically, crisis pregnancy centers often furnish new and expecting mothers with essentials like baby formula, diapers, and clothing in an effort to give women facing financial hardship an alternative to abortion.
Following an unprecedented leak showing that the Supreme Court was poised to overturn Roe v. Wade—which it later did in the majority opinion of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization—pro-abortion activists took to the streets. In many cases, demonstrations turned violent and crisis pregnancy centers found themselves facing violent attacks across the nation from Portland to Washington, D.C.
The resolution put forward by Republicans would condemn these attacks, which Republicans say the Department of Justice (DOJ) has been less than active in prosecuting.‘Attacks Have Skyrocketed’
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