At Least 40 Babies Born Alive After Failed Abortions Between 2016 and 2018 in Just Three States
Article audio sponsored by The John Birch Society

Pro-abortion lawmakers who oppose “Born-Alive” legislation claim it is unnecessary, but the evidence in favor of Born-Alive laws speaks for itself. New state health data reveals at least 40 babies have been born alive following failed abortions between 2016 and 2018, and those numbers are from just three states.

Fox News reports that while just a handful of states record data on babies who survive abortions, three states report at least 40 babies were born alive after botched abortions since 2016. 

The most recent information comes from Minnesota, which reported in June that three infants were born alive in 2018 after induced termination of a pregnancy. That brings the state total to 11 since 2016. Arizona reported 10 in 2017, and Florida had 19 such instances since 2017.

In most reported cases, the babies have not survived beyond 24 hours, Fox News adds.

Just four other states — Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas — have laws requiring data on infants born alive after failed abortions, though those states have no reported instances within that time frame and it is unclear if there were none or if the records are simply incomplete or had been intentionally withheld. As most other states do not require such data to be maintained, pro-life advocates are left to wonder just how many more live births are undocumented.

“These numbers are in just three states, which means it’s a lot higher than we’d ever suspect,” Connor Semelsberger of the pro-life Family Research Council told Fox News.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had already reported that between 2003 and 2014, 143 babies were born after attempted abortions, but admits that figure could be drastically higher, given that the information was derived from requested voluntary information from states. The CDC report states, “It is possible that this number (143) underestimates the total number of deaths involving induced termination.”

According to Life News, research by the American Center for Law and Justice estimates the number is as high as 362 babies born alive between 2001 and 2010.

And now with the discovery of at least 40 babies born alive after failed abortions since 2016, it’s clear this is an issue that needs to be addressed. It raises the question: What sort of care do these infants receive when they are born? Are they even receiving care? Sadly, witnesses have testified to the fact that many are left to die, underscoring the need for Born-Alive legislation.

During debate on North Carolina’s House floor over such legislation, Republican state Representative Pat McElraft recalled her own experiences of seeing newborns who survived abortions being left to die in the hospital, where she worked as a phlebotomist.

“I was on a break and went in to visit with the pathologist in the pathology lab and I asked him, I said, ‘What are all these little pigs doing in these buckets?’ He told me, ‘Pat, look again,’ and I did. They were perfectly formed little human babies in those buckets,” she said.

McElraft also reported that she knew of a doctor at the hospital who drowned newborns who survived abortions, North Carolina Health News reported.

Similar information has been reported by Live Action, which has documented on camera how abortionists in late-term abortion facilities talk about abortion survivors. Several have admitted to flushing babies born alive down toilets or placing them in bags to suffocate them. Others simply leave the babies alone to die.

And yet, pro-abortion advocates in Washington continue to ignore the problem. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has actively prevented a House vote on protections for abortion survivors 80 times. More than a dozen states do not have protections in place for abortion survivors, Life News reports, while states such as New York and Illinois have actively sought to repeal laws that protect infants who survive abortions. Even when state legislatures pass bills to protect babies from infanticide, Democratic governors veto the legislation.

With data revealing that at least 40 babies have been born alive after failed abortions over a two-year period, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) has reiterated calls for action in the House. Scalise has been an outspoken proponent of the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act that has repeatedly been blocked by his Democratic colleagues.

On the need for the legislation, Scalise pointed to the new findings. “The Left likes to say it doesn’t happen,” he tweeted. “But state records confirm babies are in fact being born alive during abortions.”

Image: ncognet0 via iStock / Getty Images Plus