McKinley Joins Effort to Protect Life, Oppose Extreme Agenda

Statement

Congressman David B. McKinley, P.E., (R-W.Va.) and 190 of his colleagues signed a discharge petition on Tuesday to bring a key pro-life bill to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote.

If successful, the discharge petition would bring the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (H.R. 962) to the floor for an immediate vote. A discharge petition is a parliamentary procedure that needs a simple majority (218) of signatures to be successful.

"States like Virginia and New York have proposed laws that would not only allow late-term abortions but would deny medical care to babies that are born alive following a failed abortion," Rep. McKinley said. "No matter where you stand on abortion, we should be able to agree that when a baby is born alive and outside the womb, that child is alive, and must be given the same legal protections as any other American. This bill is not about politics, but about proving care to a living breathing child."

The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act comes at a time when several states including New York and Virginia have recently passed or proposed laws to legalize abortion up until birth.

McKinley is a co-sponsor of H.R. 962 the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Click here to read the full text of the bill.

Background:

· The last time a discharge petition was successful in 2015.

· The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act:

o Requires that health care practitioners who are present at the live birth exercise skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child--the same degree of care that would be offered to any other child born prematurely the same gestational age. After those efforts, the health care workers must transport and admit the child to a hospital.

o Requires health care practitioners and hospital employees to report violations to law enforcement authorities, reducing the number of born-alive abortions that go unreported.

o Penalizes the intentional killing of a born-alive child through fines or up to 5 years imprisonment. Gives the mother of the abortion survivor a civil cause of action and protection from prosecution, recognizing that women are the second victims of abortion and promoting the dignity of motherhood.

Source