Virginia House Passes Born-Alive Protections for Abortion Survivors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 16, 2022
Contact: Mallory Carroll, [email protected]

SBA List’s Dannenfelser: Infanticide Not a Partisan Issue

Washington, D.C. – The national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) celebrated the Virginia House of Delegates’ passage of legislation to protect babies born alive during failed abortions. The issue gained national attention when pro-abortion Democrats in Virginia, New York and other states moved to expand abortion on demand through the moment of birth and former Governor Ralph Northam described in an interview how babies who survive abortions could be left to die.

The bill passed thanks to the votes of all 52 Republican delegates, who hold a majority after flipping the House in November. SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser praised them for their votes, saying:

“What a difference an election makes. After a pro-abortion administration so extreme it sent shock waves across the nation, life finally has a fighting chance again in Virginia. We thank our pro-life Republican allies for their unity and it is a shame none of their Democratic House colleagues joined them. Every newborn deserves life-saving medical care regardless of the circumstances of his or her birth – this is not a partisan issue, but one of basic compassion and human decency with which the overwhelming majority of Americans agree. We urge all members of the Virginia Senate to stand against infanticide. Born-alive protections ought to pass with unanimous support not only here in the Commonwealth, but also in Congress, where radical pro-abortion Democrats have shamefully stood in the way.

“We also thank Governor Glenn Youngkin, Attorney General Jason Miyares, and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears for bringing in a fresh era of pro-life leadership from day one. We hope the people of every state will soon have the opportunity to find consensus and enact laws protecting the most vulnerable in our society.”

In a letter outlining his pro-life policy commitments, including advocating legislation to limit late-term abortions when unborn children can feel pain and working to stop taxpayer-funded abortions, then-candidate Glenn Youngkin called out Northam over his support for infanticide. The pro-life actions of Youngkin, Miyares and Earle-Sears so far include:

  • Appointing Angela Sailor Chief Diversity, Opportunity & Inclusion Officer of the Commonwealth. Among the responsibilities of the office, she is tasked with working to eliminate disparities in prenatal care and being “an ambassador for unborn children.”
  • Filing a motion urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Mississippi’s 15-week abortion limit and return the right to set abortion policy to the people of each state and their elected representatives. The motion reverses the Northam administration’s pro-abortion stance in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case in which the Court will address the constitutionality of pre-viability limits on abortion.
  • Tweeting messages of support for the pro-life movement on the day of the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C.

SBA List and its research arm Charlotte Lozier Institute have documented hundreds of cases nationwide of babies being born alive during failed abortions.

In the 2021 election, SBA List’s partner, Women Speak Out Virginia – 2021, launched a $1.4 million campaign to defeat McAuliffe and support Youngkin, along with key pro-life candidates in House delegate races. The independent expenditure campaign included hard-hitting digital ads and voter contact mail to persuadable as well as pro-life voters who don’t consistently vote.   

SBA List is a network of 900,000 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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