On the anniversary of the conviction of Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell, the U.S. House voted in favor of banning abortions across the country after five months. The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act passed the House on a 242 to 184 vote, and now heads to the Senate.
Lawmakers wrangled with the measure, also known as H.R. 36, in January, which sabotaged a highly anticipated vote on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade; however, the measure was reintroduced for another vote on the anniversary of Gosnell’s conviction. The law would effectively ban abortions in the U.S. after 20 weeks— when children inside of the womb can feel pain.
Gosnell, who shocked the world with the horrific and inhuman killings of infants in his Philadelphia “House of Horrors,” was convicted of first-degree murder for the deaths of three babies, and for involuntary manslaughter in the death of Karnamaya Mongar. GOP lawmakers ushered in a vote to commemorate Gosnell’s conviction, calling for an end to late-term abortions in similar houses of horror across the country.
Lawmakers addressed the ability for preborn children to experience pain in the womb, noting that the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act is a crucial piece of legislation that would save preborn lives.
Among lawmakers who defended the sanctity of life, Congressman Sean Duffy of Wisconsin presented an image of his premature daughter in a passionate speech in favor of the bill.
“I’ve listened to the floor debate day after day… about how they fight for the forgotten, they fight for the defenseless, they fight for the voiceless. And they pound their chest and stomp their feet. You don’t have anyone in our society that’s more defenseless than these little babies.
“Can’t we come together and say we are going to stand with little babies that feel pain, that survive outside the womb? Ones that don’t have lobbyists and money? Don’t we stand with those little babies?
“If you stand with the defenseless, with the voiceless, you have to stand with little babies. Don’t talk to me about cruelty in our bill — when you look at little babies being dismembered, feeling excruciating pain, if we cant stand to defend these children, what do we stand for in this institution?”
The bill’s co-sponsor, Tennessee Congressman Diane Black, affirmed the necessity of federal protections for the preborn.
“I am pleased that we have devised a stronger, improved bill that will ultimately save more unborn lives,” Black said. “This is a human rights issue. Science tells us that, after 20 weeks, babies can feel pain and are increasingly able to live outside the womb.”
Polls show that Americans are increasingly in favor of late-term abortion bans, and support protecting preborn babies who are able to feel pain. Substantive research also shows that babies by 20 weeks or earlier are able to feel pain.
