I firmly believe that as Psalm 139:13 –14 tells us, we are all created in the image of God. He is the One who “knit me together in my mother’s womb,” and each and every one of us is, “wonderfully made”– not just at the point of birth, but from the very moment of conception.
That’s why I grieved when earlier this year infanticide gained national attention after several states passed a series of callous and dangerous bills that would allow late-term abortions – all the way up until birth. This isn’t an easy topic to talk about, but as more and more states adopt radical abortion policies, it becomes more and more necessary that we take action to protect these young lives. There should be no question that so-called after-birth abortions are barbaric and wrong.
In states like New York and Virginia, politicians and lawmakers have adopted positions that would allow a baby to be denied care if he or she survived a botched abortion – essentially advocating for infanticide.
Time and again, conservatives in Congress have tried to enact federal policies that would require healthcare providers to care for babies born alive after an attempted abortion, and time and again, Democrats have blocked those efforts. In fact, when the Senate considered one such bill in February, only three Democrat Senators voted in favor of the bill, meaning dozens of U.S. Senators voted against it and in favor of infanticide. At the heart of it, this disregard for life in its purest form is absolutely chilling.
Democrats in the House refuse to even allow this bill to come to the Floor for a vote. Republicans have asked over 25 times to take a vote on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, only to be stonewalled by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and our colleagues on the other side of the aisle.
For that reason, Whip Steve Scalise (LA-01) has filed a discharge petition to force a vote on this bill. Every American should see which of their Representatives believe in infanticide and which believe in protecting innocent lives. I am a very proud cosponsor of this life-saving legislation and have already signed on to the discharge petition to bring it before the entire House of Representatives for a recorded vote. Rest assured, I will continue to do everything within my power to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.
Protecting human life shouldn’t be a partisan issue. Ensuring that newborn babies aren’t left to die shouldn’t be controversial, and it shouldn’t even be an issue of pro-life or pro-choice. This concerns every one of us, and it’s time for us to stand up and defend our most basic and fundamental right: life.
Jody Hice, a Republican from Greensboro, represents a portion of Newton County in Congress. Online: hice.house.gov.