Gender-Based Abortions Still Legal in U.S. after Congress Votes

It is a tragedy of epic proportion that the United States is the only industrialized nation of the world that does not restrict abortions that are performed solely because of the gender of a child.  It’s equally alarming that the largest abortion provider in the world is actively opposing legislation that would right this wrong, even as they are repeatedly caught on tape participating in abortions that are chosen because the baby is the ‘wrong” gender. 

Today, this grievous situation took another shocking turn, as 168 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives actually chose to stand on the side of legal protections for those who would end the life of a baby with full knowledge that the only reason for doing so is that the baby is a little girl.  That is not a typo -- 168 Members of Congress actually went to the Floor of the U.S. House today and opposed H.R. 3541, the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA).  These 168 votes, while a minority of votes cast, were enough to deny the 2/3 required for passage of the bill.

Without a doubt, the motivation behind these 168 votes is varied, and includes ideological, procedural and political reasons.  But this much is clear: these 168 votes have ensured that the United States will lag behind on this important issue for at least a while longer.  They have ensured that not only can Americans continue to discriminate against late-term baby girls, but also that the U.S. will continue to be a “tourist destination” for these gender-based abortions.

As such, each of these Members should offer a justification for voting to allow the barbaric practice of gender-based abortions to continue in this country.  Further, it now falls to House Leadership to schedule a vote under regular order (requiring just a simple majority for passage) for this important legislation.

And it falls to each of us to carry this fight for justice forward.  18,000 of you have signed our petition in favor of H.R. 3541.  If you have not yet added your name, you can do so here.  Don’t allow our daughters to be aborted because they aren’t our sons.