On Tuesday, Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) filed a discharge petition for H.R. 962, the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. A discharge petition is a way to bring a bill to the floor that is otherwise being blocked by the Speaker, if the majority (218) of representatives agree and sign. On every legislative day since the bill’s introduction, Members have asked Speaker Pelosi for a vote on H.R. 962. This has now occurred 29 times.
On the first day, the discharge petition was ready for signatures, 193 representatives signed; this record-setting number is the most representatives to ever sign a discharge petition on the first day. On Wednesday, five additional members joined, bringing the tally to 198 signatures. We only need twenty more signatures to force Speaker Pelosi to put this bill on the floor for a vote. To find out if your representative has signed, please click here.
CWALAC joined representatives on Tuesday outside of the Capitol at a press conference in support of Born Alive and watched from the House gallery as members lined up to sign the discharge petition. We also attended the Virginia March for Life in Richmond on Wednesday, where many of the speakers highlighted the radical statements of Virginia Governor Northam (D) that sparked the Born Alive debate.
Born Alive is about stopping infanticide, not restricting or regulating abortion. We should all agree that once born, a newborn child is a patient and deserves protection. This is a reflection on our humanity. Recent polling shows that 82% of Americans, including 77% of pro-choice Americans, support protections for children born alive after an attempted abortion. This is not at all the radical bill the Democrats are portraying.
Please call your representative today and ask him/her to sign the discharge petition for H.R. 962, the Born Alive Abortion Survivor’s Protection Act. Click here to make that call.