House passes ‘born alive’ abortion bill
CNNJan 12, 2023
The Republican-controlled US House on Wednesday voted 220-210 in favor of the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.
The bill requires that healthcare providers attempt to save the life of an infant in the rare instance the baby is born alive during or after an abortion. Providers who don’t comply could face fines or prison.
This bill is an unnecessary and burdensome answer to a fictitious situation, as it’s already illegal to kill a baby that survives an abortion. The decision to vote on it is the GOP's attempt to send a united message on their abortion stance as they try to keep a razor-thin majority together.
While current legislation may prevent infants who survive an abortion from being killed, it doesn't include penalties for failing to provide proper care to the child. Those born after failed late-term abortions inarguably must be treated with the same respect and level of care afforded to every living person, and this legislation would go a long way in achieving this.
There's a 4% chance that elective abortion before the gestational age of 16 weeks will be banned nationally in the US before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.