US House Passes 'Born Alive' Abortion Bill

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Facts

• The Republican-controlled US House on Wednesday voted 220-210 in favor of the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.¹
• The bill requires that healthcare providers attempt to save the life of an infant in the rare instance the baby is born alive during or after an abortion. Providers who don’t comply could face fines or prison.¹
• One Democrat voted in favor of the bill, which isn't expected to survive a vote in the Democrat-controlled Senate. The bill also calls for a prohibition on the “intentional killing of a born-alive child,” which is already illegal under US law.²
• This bill is the first anti-abortion legislation to clear the House since the overturning of Roe v. Wade by SCOTUS in June 2022.³
• Abortion has been just one of the issues the newly-elected House has been working on since being sworn in last week. Other bills have dealt with US business relations with China and an inquiry into allegations of bias among federal investigators when it comes to conservatives.⁴

Sources: ¹CNN, ²Independent, ³Newsweek and ⁴CBS.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by CNN. This bill is an unnecessary and burdensome answer to a fictitious situation, as it’s already illegal to kill a baby that survives an abortion. The decision to vote on it is the GOP's attempt to send a united message on their abortion stance as they try to keep a razor-thin majority together.
• Republican narrative, as provided by National review. While current legislation may prevent infants who survive an abortion from being killed, it doesn't include penalties for failing to provide proper care to the child. Those born after failed late-term abortions inarguably must be treated with the same respect and level of care afforded to every living person, and this legislation would go a long way in achieving this.

Predictions