Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 26. I thank my colleague, the chair of the Judiciary Committee from Ohio, for yielding me time.

Madam Speaker, as a mother, a doctor, a former nurse, and a former director of Iowa's Department of Public Health, I know firsthand the preciousness of life and the importance of prenatal care and the tragedies that ensue when proper care isn't provided. In fact, the first healthy baby I delivered as a doctor was to a young teenager who put the baby up for adoption.

Our Nation promises three things: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There is no clause in the Constitution to exempt newborns who survive an abortion procedure from these rights. It is not only unreasonable, but it is inhuman to deny care to babies who were born alive.

Regardless of maternal intent, what could be more extreme than denying care to an infant born alive?

My colleague on the other side of the aisle from New York is correct. It is infanticide.

H.R. 26 is legislation that should receive wide support from both sides of the aisle. It is unconscionable to think that some Members will choose to vote against this bill which will ensure infants receive lifesaving care simply because of partisan politics. This legislation isn't about abortions but saving the lives of living and breathing innocent newborns.

Many States, including Iowa, have put safe haven laws in place to allow parents to leave their infants at hospitals or care facilities without fear of being prosecuted. We already have laws in place to protect these infants.

Why should infants who survive an abortion be treated any differently?

Like all other medical professionals, I took the Hippocratic oath which promises that I will do no harm. This legislation reaffirms the Hippocratic oath and ensures that doctors across the United States are providing the same standard of medical care to all infants regardless of the circumstance of their birth.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to stand in support of life by voting for H.R. 26.

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