Leading Family Org Urges Congress to Pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act

Editor’s Note: Friday is the annual March for Life. As we cry out for the end of abortion, prayerfully consider how the Lord can use your testimony to bring healing, restoration and justice for families devastated by the death of an unborn child.

The American Family Association (AFA, afa.net) has sent an Action Alert to its more than 1 million friends and supporters, urging them to call on Congress to end the killing of babies who survive abortion.

Especially timely with the 44th annual March for Life set for Friday, and as the anniversary of the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 approaches on Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote Friday on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would protect infants who survive a failed abortion.

AFA encourages pro-life Americans to contact their congressmen about this important bill.

“During the 114th Congress in 2014-15, this same bill passed the House, but a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate allowed the bill to die,” said AFA President Tim Wildmon. “Senate Republican leadership, namely Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, is to blame despite the overwhelming number of Republican senators who would have voted for the bill.”

Wildmon added that the possibility looms of Senate leadership killing another pro-life bill that the House sent to the Senate last year—the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. This bill would ban abortions after about 20 weeks. This bill will die during the current Congress unless Senate leadership brings it up for a vote. If it passes, President Trump—the first sitting president to address the March for Life—has promised to sign it into law.

Senate Republican leadership claims the reason they don’t bring up pro-life legislation like this is because they don’t have the 60 votes required to end a Democratic filibuster. AFA contends this is a smokescreen that establishment Senate Republicans use to avoid voting on hard issues like abortion.

AFA has repeatedly called on McConnell and the Senate to use parliamentary procedures to work around the 60-vote rule, much as they did when the Senate confirmed Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Yet 30 Republican senators continue to protect the filibuster rule—which is not in the Constitution—that allows Democratic obstruction of the legislative process. These 30 Republicans claim they want to keep the filibuster rule in the event Democrats regain the majority in the Senate. But to AFA, this is a defeatist attitude. In addition, Democrats are already on record to end the filibuster when they regain the Senate majority and pass their progressive agenda.

Despite the weaknesses of Senate Republican leadership, AFA is encouraging those committed to protecting life to urge their Congressman to vote for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act and keep the pressure on the Senate Republican establishment.

Earlier this month, AFA sent an Action Alert to its more than 1 million friends and supporters, asking them to thank President Donald Trump for his pro-life victories in 2017. Thus far, more than 55,000 have signed the thank-you petition.