WASHINGTON – Following Monday night's scheduled roll call votes, U.S. Senator Ben Sasse – Republican from Nebraska – will ask his Senate colleagues unanimous consent to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.
Illinoisans interested in how their representatives to the U.S. Senate Dick Durbin (202.224.2152) and Tammy Duckworth (202 224-2854) will vote may contact their offices before the vote this afternoon.
UPDATE: An Illinois state rep filed a bill late last week to protect babies born alive after abortion. See below.
Last Thursday, Senator Sasse announced his plan to force a debate on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act in the wake of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam's comments and New York's repeal of state-level protections for abortion survivors.
"Everyone in this Senate ought to be able to say unequivocally that killing that little baby is wrong," said Sasse on Thursday. "I'm going to ask all 100 Senators to come to the floor and be against infanticide. This shouldn't be complicated."
UPDATE: State Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R- East Dundee) filed legislation February 1, 2019 that would protect babies born alive after an abortion in the state of Illinois.
The measure HB 1620 now has no other co-sponsors listed. The bill description says:
Amends the Illinois Abortion Law of 1975. Provides that subsequent to the abortion, if a child is born alive, the physician required to be in attendance shall exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as would be required of a physician providing immediate medical care to a child born alive at the same gestational age (rather than in the course of a pregnancy termination which was not an abortion).
Support for the measure in the form of other co-sponsors being enlisted from both sides of the aisle could affect the bill's movement to committee and then onto the Illinois House floor.
