WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines took to the Senate floor to underscore the importance of Senate passage of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which will prevent late-term abortion nationwide beyond 20 weeks.
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Daines is an original cosponsor of the commonsense Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. This legislation would prevent late-term abortion nationwide beyond 20 weeks – more than halfway through pregnancy when a baby can feel pain.
Daines’ made the following remarks on the Senate floor:
“The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act will do exactly that: protect unborn children who can feel pain.
“Studies have shown that babies can feel pain by 20 weeks or five months in pregnancy, and it is unconscionable to subject a child at any stage in their life to such pain.
“Anesthesiologists protect these children from pain of surgery in the womb, and today these premature babies have a one in four chance of living a full and complete life.
“Do a quick Google search and type in ‘20-week baby’ or ‘20-week baby pictures’. Take out your smartphone and Google it. The results of that search will pull up something like you see here to my right. A baby whose facial features are clearly visible.
“In fact, only seven countries in the world allow babies 20 weeks or older to be aborted and the United States is one of them, along with North Korea and China to name a few.
“Overwhelmingly Americans support this commonsense legislation – according to a November 2014 Quinnipiac poll – 60% of Americans support a ban on abortion at 20 weeks including nearly 60% of American women.
“This is a bill that a majority of the American people are behind, protecting babies after 20 days when they feel pain.
“We must fight for the most vulnerable in our society: the elderly, the disabled and the unborn. They don’t have a vote here on capitol. Their right to life is protected by our Constitution and is part of the framework of the Declaration of Independence and because of that we speak up.
“During the Gosnell trial, we all learned of the gruesome methods of ending the life of just born children – using a method similar to dismemberment which occurs in several clinics throughout our country and science tells us causes pain to the baby – some of whom were little over 20 weeks old.
“So why do we allow these late-term abortions? If Gosnell aborted these children moments before they were removed from the womb, would the loss of life have been any less tragic or less appalling?
“We cannot stand idly by and allow such painful terminations of human life to continue.
“We must continue to be a voice for those who don’t have a voice.
“The United States Senate needs to join the House of Representatives and get this legislation passed and onto the President’s desk.”