| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 27, 2019 |
CONTACT: Mallory Quigley [email protected] | 202-223-8073 |
Pro-life States Take Action as Extremist Democrats Double Down on Abortion Through Birth and Beyond
Washington, D.C. – Today the Missouri House of Representatives passed the Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act (HB 126). Originally introduced by Representative Nick Schroer (R-107) to ban abortion when an unborn child’s heartbeat can be detected, the omnibus bill as amended and passed includes provisions limiting late-term abortions after five months of pregnancy, when science shows unborn children can feel pain; declaring the state of Missouri and all its political subdivisions a “sanctuary of life”; banning discriminatory abortions for reasons of sex, race, or Down syndrome; requiring abortionists to have adequate malpractice insurance; and more.
The national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) praised the bill’s passage in a statement:
“The Missouri House’s bold action shows the growing momentum to humanize our laws and challenge the radical status quo of Roe v. Wade,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “The United States is one of only seven nations – including China and North Korea – that allow abortion on demand through the moment of birth. Ultimate passage of this compassionate bill would make Missouri the 21st state to stop cruel late-term abortions and enact some of the strongest protections in the country for unborn children and their mothers. Today’s vote comes as extremist Democrats in Congress block legislation to protect babies who survive abortion attempts and follows efforts in several states to expand abortion on demand at the point when a woman is in labor and even beyond – a deeply unpopular position even within their own party that has prompted a nationwide outcry.
“SBA List thanks Speaker Elijah Haahr, Representatives Nick Schroer, Mary Elizabeth Coleman and Kathy Swan, and all the pro-life members of the Missouri House for their leadership. We are so encouraged to see lawmakers in pro-life states like Missouri taking action to protect the most vulnerable. We urge the state senate to do likewise and send this bill swiftly to Governor Parson’s desk.”
On Monday a vote to advance the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, legislation introduced by Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) to protect babies born alive in failed abortions, failed to pass a 60-vote threshold in the U.S. Senate when 44 Democrats voted to block the bill.
A Marist poll released this week shows a dramatic shift in how Americans identify on the abortion issue in the last month: 34 percent of Democrats identify as pro-life, 61 percent pro-choice (compared to 20 percent and 75 percent last month, respectively). The poll also found that among voters under the age of 45, 47 percent identify as pro-life and 48% pro-choice (compared to 28 percent and 65 percent last month, respectively).
A poll released earlier this month by SBA List finds that 77 percent of voters support legislation to ensure that a baby who survives a failed abortion be given the same medical treatment as any other baby born prematurely at the same age (55 percent strongly support), and 62 percent of voters oppose legislation to allow late-term abortions, even up to the point when a woman is in labor (50 percent strongly oppose).
In his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump called out the Democratic Party for their support of late-term abortion and even infanticide, following efforts in New York and Virginia to legalize abortion on demand through birth. President Trump also called on Congress to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to stop late-term abortions after five months.
SBA List is a network of more than 700,000 pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.
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