In the Democratic Party, Pro-Abortion Extremism Knows No Bounds

Written by Blake Elliott

It was no surprise to pro-lifers on February 11th when the pro-abortion, Democrat-controlled Colorado House Committee on State, Veterans, and Military Affairs voted to postpone and essentially kill CO HB 1068, which would have provided legal protection for infants born alive after a failed abortion attempt. It just so happens that this occurred on the same day that pro-abortion Democrats were fighting against a similar bill at the federal level at a hearing entitled “The Infant Patient: Ensuring Appropriate Medical Care for Children Born Alive.” U.S. Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) summarized it best when he said that these bills are not about “limiting access to abortion at all,” but rather about “making sure that every newborn has a fighting chance.”

Pro-abortion activists continue to make these hearings and debates on born-alive bills about abortion access and women’s rights. It is essential to understand that these born-alive bills do not prohibit abortion or limit access to abortion. They simply give babies that survive abortions the same access to potentially life-saving health care that any other newborn baby is given.

In Colorado, HB 1068 was killed based on party lines. Democrats controlled six of the nine seats in the Committee on State, Veterans, and Military Affairs, and each Democrat voted to kill the act. The committee listened to testimony on this bill for several hours, mostly from advocates for the bill to be passed. However, the Democrats could not be swayed from their extremist pro-abortion stance. Representative Shane Sandridge (R-Colorado Springs), who sponsored HB 1068, described how the bill is about holding doctors accountable for failing to render aid to the live birth of a baby during an attempted abortion. Rep. Sandridge emphasized the fact that the baby is outside of the womb, making this bill “not an abortion bill,” but rather “a murder bill.”

But the Democrats still could not be swayed. Representative Chris Kennedy (D-Lakewood) spoke to the bill’s supposed “effect of limiting access to abortion.” At the federal level, Democrats seemed to have the same issue of not being able to comprehend the fact that these born-alive cases, the abortion attempt has already occurred and failed. U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) made the claim that the bill would punish the “needs of women as it relates to their health care.”

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) pointed out that it “should be an easy moral decision to save the life of a child who is outside of the womb and is alive” and how tragic it was that her Democratic colleagues continue to “support the killing of a child after it is outside of the womb.” U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) made it clear that people should all agree that every baby born alive deserves care regardless of whether the parents wanted the baby. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) observed “how extreme and radical the pro-abortion side of this debate has gotten.”

Unfortunately, the Democratic presidential candidates are not backing down from this pro-abortion extremism—they have made it clear where they and their party stand on abortion. Just this [month] at an MSNBC Town Hall event, Bernie Sanders was asked, “Is there such a thing as a pro-life Democrat in your vision of the party?” Sanders responded by saying, “I think being pro-choice is an absolutely essential part of being a Democrat.”

Another candidate vying for the nomination is Pete Buttigieg, who has taken an even more extreme pro-abortion stance. Buttigieg has unfortunately attempted to claim that the Bible can be interpreted to say that “life begins with breath” in order to defend his pro-abortion stance. Buttigieg has essentially been a proponent for late-term abortions all the way up until birth. He has defended this stance by arguing that he trusts women to be able to make the decision and does not believe the government should play any role in preventing the woman and her doctors from killing the baby. For pro-life Democrats, it should not be hard to realize that these candidates’ pro-abortion extremism knows no bounds.

It is indefensible that the Colorado House Democrats voted against HB 1068. The fact that Democrats now defend abortionists who leave babies that survive abortions to die should tell you all you need to know about the current state of the Democratic Party. There is no defense for leaving a baby to die, which is why Democrats at the federal level have built their case by framing the care for a born-alive baby as “limiting” access to abortion and “limiting” women’s rights. For pro-life Democrats, it should not be hard to see the red flags for what they are ultimately supporting when the faces of their party who are running for president have not only advocated for abortion up until birth, but have failed to support bills that would ban infanticide of babies born alive after failed abortion attempts.

This article was originally published at FRCAction.org.