This week, Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse introduced again legislation aimed at protecting babies who survive abortions. In a press release, Sasse pointed out that currently, there are no protections in place for abortion survivors. “Everybody loves babies and that love has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with just having a heart,” he said in the release. “This legislation is an opportunity for Congress to find consensus built on common sense, compassion, science, and a simple fact: every baby deserves a fighting chance at life. Providing care for newborns is more important than partisan political divides. Every baby has dignity – every baby deserves protection and love.”

The legislation requires that, in the case of a botched abortion in which a baby is born alive, the abortionist “must exercise the same degree of professional skill and care to protect the newborn as would be offered to any other child born alive at the same gestational age” and that “after appropriate care has been given, be immediately transported and admitted to a hospital.” The bill was originally introduced in 2017, and not only exempts mothers from any criminal charges, but empowers them to file charges themselves against an abortionist who violates the proposed law. Any health care provider who refuses to help a baby born alive after abortions could receive up to five years in prison, a criminal fine, or both. And if any individual kills the baby after the failed abortion, that person can be prosecuted for murder.

This week, Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse introduced again legislation aimed at protecting babies who survive abortions. In a press release, Sasse pointed out that currently, there are no protections in place for abortion survivors. “Everybody loves babies and that love has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with just having a heart,” he said in the release. “This legislation is an opportunity for Congress to find consensus built on common sense, compassion, science, and a simple fact: every baby deserves a fighting chance at life. Providing care for newborns is more important than partisan political divides. Every baby has dignity – every baby deserves protection and love.”

The legislation requires that, in the case of a botched abortion in which a baby is born alive, the abortionist “must exercise the same degree of professional skill and care to protect the newborn as would be offered to any other child born alive at the same gestational age” and that “after appropriate care has been given, be immediately transported and admitted to a hospital.” The bill was originally introduced in 2017, and not only exempts mothers from any criminal charges, but empowers them to file charges themselves against an abortionist who violates the proposed law. Any health care provider who refuses to help a baby born alive after abortions could receive up to five years in prison, a criminal fine, or both. And if any individual kills the baby after the failed abortion, that person can be prosecuted for murder.