A Cry for Care – Abortion Survivors Must Be Given a Fighting Chance at Life
When each of our two girls was born, a cry was the first sound we heard. It was a sound of discomfort and need, yes, but also the sound of life! It was confirmation that our baby was both fragile and valuable. It was a sign that she was deserving of quality medical care.
When our son was born, it was the initial absence of a cry that was cause for concern. His life was of course just as valuable, and his temporary inability to cry out caused the medical professionals around us to quicken their pace and work to open his airways. It only took a few moments—moments that felt like an eternity—but with prompt care, our son also let out a cry. Never before and never since has a baby’s cry meant so much to us.
Parents everywhere can relate to the examples above. When a baby is born—no matter the circumstances—he or she requires care and attention. Some require more urgent care than others, but there can be no mistaking the fact that he or she is a valuable human life. As such, he or she is as deserving of required medical care as any other human life. Of this fact, there should be no debate.
Sadly, the reality in America is otherwise. Federal law fails to adequately protect human life in these first moments after birth, and far too many abortion advocates openly defend the idea that a requirement to provide care should hinge on whether the live birth was the desired outcome. It’s a grisly reality, and one that must be rejected out of hand.
We are grateful that Sen. Ben Sasse (NE) and Rep. Ann Wagner (MO) have again introduced the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. This legislation would ensure that every child who is born alive receives the same professional life-saving medical care that would be afforded to any other child born prematurely. It would also require the baby to be transported and admitted to a hospital for further medical care. Already 46 Senators have signed on as co-sponsors of this critical legislation.
We call on both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House to immediately right this horrific wrong by passing the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Further, we call on President Biden to set partisan politics aside and embrace this most fundamental human right.
As we recently noted:
We were heartened a few months ago when President Trump issued an Executive order to protect babies who are born alive—often following a botched late-term abortion attempt. This action—which we are closely monitoring in case President Biden moves to alter or rescind it—was a stark reminder of the humanity that exists in each of these babies.
Some things must transcend politics. The right of a crying baby to receive needed medical care is absolutely one of those things, and it is time for the United States to protect that right.
At the ACLJ, we will continue to advocate for the most vulnerable among us so that their silent cries will be heard, and their lives will be spared.