Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Roy, my friend from Texas, for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in very strong support of H.R. 21, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, legislation that I have been blessed and honored to lead since 2019.

Today, thanks to the Herculean efforts of the pro-life movement, the American people have finally regained the power back from the courts to decide how to protect the most vulnerable among us.

However, Congress has a clear role to play when it comes to protecting newborn infants, babies who have been delivered alive and are experiencing their first moments in the world. All children should be welcomed with joy and wonder, no matter the circumstances of their birth. Yet, too many of these little ones are denied the medical care that they need to survive and thrive simply because they are unwanted.

This commonsense legislation will require healthcare providers to administer the same level of care to babies who survive abortions that they would to any other child born at the same gestational age. That is it.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that life is a miracle and children are a blessing. As a proud grandmother of four with a fifth coming any day now--hang in there, Julia--I have watched my own children grow into wonderful, loving parents. I have had the joy of experiencing the world through their eyes, the eyes of my grandchildren.

It breaks my heart to think of the infants who were denied the opportunity to share their light with us and were instead deemed unwanted and left to die. We must remember today that children are not the only victims of born-alive abortions. Mothers, fathers, families, and whole communities all suffer deeply from the loss of a child.

Mr. Speaker, we must act with compassion to protect each little one and give women a strong support system as they navigate the miracles and challenges of motherhood. This bill will save real lives, and it will give survivors a precious chance to build a future.

This is a historic time with a pro-life House, a pro-life Senate, and a pro-life administration. I am so proud that one of our first acts in the House this Congress will be ensuring that every single baby born in the United States receives lifesaving medical care at their most vulnerable moment.

I express my gratitude to the co-leads of this bill, Representative Cammack and Majority Leader Scalise, to the leadership of this Congress, and especially to the multitude of champions for life across the country, for their tireless work in support of the unborn.

Finally, I implore my Democratic colleagues to put aside politics and stand in support of lifesaving care for these innocent newborns as they did when it passed the House in 2015, in 2018, and, yet again, in 2022.

Mr. Speaker, I urge every Member of the House to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 21, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.

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