[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 36 (Monday, February 24, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1098-S1099]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                Abortion

  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, this week, the Senate will vote on two 
bills that will protect our most vulnerable citizens--literally, our 
babies. The first bill we will vote on is the Born-Alive Abortion 
Survivors Protection Act, which was introduced by our colleague from 
Nebraska, Senator Sasse.
  This legislation is simple and straightforward. It requires 
physicians and healthcare providers to treat babies who survive an 
abortion with the same lifesaving care that other infants born at the 
same stage receive. While you might be forgiven for wondering, why 
would we need such a bill; surely, that standard must already exist in 
our law--unfortunately, no. There are no Federal laws requiring 
healthcare providers to care for abortion survivors, just as they would 
for any other infant in their care.
  One of the most notorious reasons why we need this law sits in the 
Governor's mansion in Virginia. About this time last year, our country 
was shocked and outraged by comments made by Gov. Ralph Northam--a 
pediatrician, believe it or not--about what should happen when a baby 
is delivered and survives an abortion. He said:

       The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept 
     comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that's what 
     the mother and family desired. And then a discussion would 
     ensue between the physicians and the mother.

  Rather than immediately doing everything possible to save the baby, 
to provide the same sort of care he would to any infant, he wants to 
sit around and decide whether the baby will live or die. That is not 
healthcare; that is infanticide. Voting for the Born-Alive Abortion 
Survivors Protection Act is how each Member of this Chamber can go on 
record to say they are against killing innocent babies.
  While some are desperately trying to paint this as an anti-abortion 
bill, which would infringe on women's reproductive rights, those claims 
could not be further from the truth. There is nothing in this bill 
about limiting access to abortion, no mention of first, second, or 
third trimester abortions, nothing about overturning Roe v. Wade.
  There is one goal with this legislation and one goal only: to give 
every baby a fighting chance. In a rational world, we wouldn't be 
having this discussion but would, rather, unanimously be condemning 
this practice for the evil that it is. I am proud to be an original 
cosponsor of the bill and, once again, vote to stop the practice of 
infanticide and protect babies who survive abortions alive.
  We will be voting on a second bill, which will provide protections 
for unborn children that are practiced in almost all of the civilized 
world. This is the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act that would 
make it a crime for doctors to perform abortions on unborn babies at or 
beyond 20 weeks.
  There is significant medical research that shows that unborn children 
at this stage experience pain. At 5 months into a pregnancy, these 
babies are beyond halfway to delivery.
  One of President's Trump's guests at the State of the Union a few 
weeks ago was 2-year-old Ellie Schneider--one of the youngest babies to 
survive in the United States. Ellie was born at 21 weeks and 6 days--
just 13 days beyond the point in time we are discussing. She weighed 
less than a pound at birth and is living proof of the medical 
achievements and advancements that have improved the chance of survival 
for extremely premature babies.
  Ellie and her mother Robin are an example of the impact this 
legislation would have on the lives of many Americans families. 
Unfortunately, just as our Democratic colleagues have tried to deceive 
the American people about the purpose of the Born-Alive Abortion 
Survivors Protection Act, they are trying to mislead everyone about 
what this bill would do as well.
  First, this bill would apply only to elective abortions, not those 
involving rape or incest or where the life of the mother could be in 
danger. It in no way places the mother in legal jeopardy for seeking an 
abortion. It clearly and solely places responsibility on healthcare 
providers.

[[Page S1099]]

  Passing this legislation wouldn't make the United States an extreme 
outlier when it comes to abortion practices. In fact, it would put us 
in line with international norms. Currently, only seven countries in 
the world allow elective abortions after 20 weeks. One, of course, is 
the United States. The other countries on the list should make all of 
us second-guess allowing abortions beyond 20 weeks--China, Vietnam, 
North Korea. Countries with a history of human rights violations are 
hardly the model we should aspire to.
  It is time to give every baby a chance to live and stop doctors from 
performing abortions on infants who feel pain. I am proud to be a 
cosponsor of both of these bills and stand with my colleagues in the 
fight for human life.
  Our friend from Montana, Senator Daines, established the first-ever 
Senate Pro-Life Caucus to fight for the lives of our most vulnerable 
citizens. A couple of weeks ago, he said: ``These back-to-back votes 
will present an opportunity for Senate Democrats and all of us to show 
the American people whether there are any limits at all to radical 
abortion extremism.'' We will soon learn the answer.
  I appreciate our colleagues--Senator Sasse, Senator Graham, and 
Senator Daines--for their leadership on this legislation and for 
consistently fighting for the most vulnerable among us. I will be a 
proud ``yes'' vote on both of these bills--yes to protecting newborn 
babies, yes to equal medical care for all infants, and yes to a 
fighting chance for all babies.