The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would penalize doctors who do not provide life-saving care to infants born alive after an abortion attempt. The bill, which was passed 217 to 204, with all Republicans voting in favor, directs health care practitioners to operate with the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence for a baby born with a heartbeat after an abortion as during a normal birth. Doctors who run afoul of the rule would be fined or given up to five years behind bars.
All but one Democrat, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, voted against the bill, with all House Democratic leaders opposing the legislation. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., praised the bill, stating that requiring medical care for babies born alive after a failed abortion isn’t controversial, it’s common sense.
Democrats, on the other hand, argued that the bill is redundant, given existing laws against infanticide and murder, and could imperil the lives of women seeking late-term abortions due to medical emergencies while unfairly penalizing doctors. Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., said that the bill is not based on science or reality, and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., stated that it would allow women to “die on the operating table because doctors are scared of going to jail.”
The vote comes after the bill failed to pass a procedural hurdle in the Senate earlier this week, ending its chances of being sent to the White House for President Donald Trump’s signature.
