During an impassioned speech on the floor of Congress, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette called out H.R.26, a piece of legislation introduced by House republicans, for being not only a transparent attempt to scare healthcare workers out of performing abortions, but for being ineffective in protecting the lives of children, which anti-choice advocates state to be their entire goal. The text of H.R.26, in essence, requires that in the event of an infant being born alive after a failed abortion, that healthcare workers provide the same standard of care as to any other infant born alive at the same gestational age.
Upon reading that, one may wonder why that needed to be stated, as pro-choice advocates do not advocate for the murder of living children. As DeGette pointed out, “But just in case anyone was confused about this, as Chairman Nadler said, in 2002 Congress passed the Born Alive Act and all of us including me, the co-chair of the Pro-Choice caucus–voted for it. Because clearly, if the baby is born, we shouldn’t kill it.”
The answer comes in the next section of the legislation, which offers a way for the person on whom the failed abortion was performed to bring civil action against a healthcare worker who did not follow these standards of care. As DeGette says, “It doesn’t really protect newborn children in any way… It creates criminal penalties for health care providers that don’t do what the Republicans think they should do, and it creates new complicated standards that will make it harder for health care professionals to do their jobs… It hopes to deter doctors from providing abortion care in the first place.”
She asked for her fellow Representatives to reject the legislation and instead pass a Motion to Recommit to the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would prohibit the government from restricting abortion care. Despite this, H.R.26 passed in the House 220-210 and will proceed to the Senate. The Women’s Health Protection Act is still being debated.
