Names: 64 Catholics Who Voted Against Protecting Babies Born Alive in Botched Abortions

CV NEWS FEED // Lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Wednesday voted 220-210 to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. All but two of the Catholic Democrats in the House voted against the bill, with one voting Yes and another voting “present.” Their names are listed below.

Sixty-four Catholics – all Democrats – voted against the measure. Catholic Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-TX, was the only Democrat to vote with all Republicans to pass the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Catholic Rep. Vincente Gonzalez, D-TX, voted “present.”

All Catholic Representatives in the Republican Party voted in favor of the bill. In the new Congress sworn in this month, there are 122 Catholics in the House, 66 of them Democrats and 56 Republicans.

The bill, which Democrats in the Senate will likely block, would ensure that infants who emerge from the birth canal alive after an attempted abortion receive the same protections and care as any other newborn. 

Unlike a previous version of the bill passed by Congress in 2002, the new legislation would create criminal penalties for those who violate it and make all medical workers, including workers at abortion facilities, mandatory reporters.

CatholicVote President Brian Burch has urged lawmakers to pass the bill, pointing out that its goal is a matter of bipartisan agreement among voters:

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, America has seen great division over the terrible scourge of abortion. But this is something we should all be able to agree on: Vulnerable children who have survived the horrific ordeal of abortion deserve immediate and compassionate care from doctors and nurses who have sworn an oath to “do no harm.” This is a no-brainer.

As CatholicVote reported earlier this week:

Under the new bill, a woman who has been subjected to an abortion may also bring civil action against any healthcare provider who violated the act and killed or failed to provide care to her infant.

“If the measure of America is how we treat the least of our brothers and sisters,” Burch noted, “this act is a major step in restoring our nation to its rightful dignity as a protector and refuge for the most vulnerable among us.”

Below readers can find a full list of Catholic Representatives and how they voted on H.R. 26, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.