Cong. Franks' Life Bill Falls Short of Two-Thirds Requirement
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House of Representatives voted on H.R. 3541, the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act; legislation introduced by Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ) that prohibits, which prohibits abortion on the basis of the unborn baby's gender, a problem recently highlighted by undercover videos released by Live Action showing a Planned Parenthood clinic staff member instructing a woman how to obtain a late-term sex-selective abortion. (1) ban sex-selection abortions, (2) the coercion of sex-selection abortion, (3) the solicitation or acceptance of funds for sex-selection abortion, and (4) the transportation of a woman into the U.S. to obtain a sex-selection abortion. America is the only advanced country that does not restrict sex-selection through law, and that must end today. The legislation required a two-thirds majority to pass, and thus failed by a vote of 246 yeas to 168 nays.Franks (R-AZ) said, "I am heartened that so many of my colleagues came together to, in an overwhelming majority, support the Prenatal Non-Discrimination Act. Though it did not secure the two-thirds majority necessary to pass under suspension rules, I am confident that this is not the end, but merely the opening salvo in ensuring the words, 'It's a girl,' are no longer a death sentence for so many unborn girls."I also note the sad and bitter irony that President Obama, who has disingenuously accused Republicans of a so-called 'war on women,' mustered a truly breathtaking display of hypocrisy in opposing a bill that would prevent aborting those little babies who have the 'nerve' to be little girls."Indeed, the same Democrats who are so frequently heralded as 'progressives' today refused to make the United States the very last civilized nation on Earth to outlaw aborting a little girl simply for being a little girl, even as the human family on Earth is today missing 200 million baby girls, thanks to the grisly practice the majority of my colleagues across the aisle couldn't find it in their hearts to condemn."Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) added: “It is a sad day in America when the president of the United States endorses sex-selection abortion by opposing the Franks bill to outlaw this egregious assault on baby girls. Sex-selection abortion is cruel, it's discriminatory, and it's legal. It is violence against women. Most people in government are unaware that it is part of a deliberate plan of population control. This is the real war on women.”Congressman Mike Kelly (R-PA) said, “The House’s failure to pass a federal ban against sex-selection abortion is a sad day for America and a frightening one for girls and women,” said Rep. Kelly. “If ever there were a war on women in this country, the practice of sex-selection abortion would be the ultimate pre-emptive strike, taking the lives of innocent baby girls simply because they are girls and not boys. That’s the most reprehensible form of gender discrimination imaginable and it’s a crime against girls and humanity that needs to be stopped.”Congressman Diane Black (R-TN) stated:"Aborting a baby based upon their gender undermines one of our nation's founding principles that all human beings are created equal. United States law currently prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender. Abortion should be no exception. Victims of sex selection abortions are overwhelmingly female. This is a growing problem that needs to be addressed."Congressman Steve Chabot (R-OH) stated:"I am proud to cast my vote for the most innocent among us, the unborn children. I am sickened by the thought of parents aborting a child because of its sex and I will do everything in my power to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Sex-selective abortions are becoming an international problem with terrible repercussions, and we must stop the discrimination from happening here in America. The laws of our country go to great lengths to protect individuals from discrimination and unborn children cannot be abandoned."Congressman Jean Schmidt (R-OH) stated, “I’m disappointed. This is a bill that basically is about sex selection for abortion. Abortion is wrong at any level, but to condone someone wanting to end a life based solely on the sex of their child is horrendous. This is an assault on women. This is gendercide.”Lila Rose, founder and president of Live Action, also issued the following statement:“We applaud the brave leaders in Congress such as Rep. Trent Franks for leading the charge against the abhorrent practice of sex-selective abortion. The struggle to stop gendercide is a bipartisan issue— more Democrats voted in support of the ban than Republicans against—but the battle is far from over. We will continue to release the results of our national investigation into Planned Parenthood and other U.S. providers that are facilitating the brutal and lethal discrimination against girls in the womb. The public deserves to see the truth about how Planned Parenthood and their abortion industry allies, backed by the President, facilitate the late term targeting of girls, especially as we approach a historic election."Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of the nationwide pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List, said: “Today President Obama and 168 absolutist members of Congress chose to stand with the abortion lobby rather than defend women from the lethal discrimination of sex-selective abortion. It strikes me as grossly hypocritical that President Obama and his allies lament the so-called ‘War on Women,’ and yet fail to defend those women most in need – unborn daughters and the mothers coerced into sex-selective abortion. Our President and the leaders of his party are now on the record as being diametrically opposed to an overwhelming majority – 80 percent – of American women who support a ban on sex-selective abortion. The SBA List plans to ensure that come November, women will remember who failed to stand up for them.”Douglas Johnson, Legislative Director for National Right to Life Committee, commented, "We are heartened that a strong majority of House members voted to ban performing or coercing abortions for the purpose of eliminating unborn babies of an undesired sex – usually, girls. Shamefully, President Obama, and a minority of 168 House members, complied with the political demands of pro-abortion pressure groups, rather than defend the coerced women, and their unborn daughters, who are victimized by sex-selection abortions. We commend the House Republican leadership for bringing this bill to the floor today under the fast-track procedure. Today’s groundbreaking majority vote was a stepping stone to this bill ultimately becoming law – perhaps after the replacement of some of the lawmakers who today were unwilling to protect victimized women and their unborn daughters from sex-selection abortions, because they were more concerned with maintaining favor with the abortion industry, pro-abortion advocacy groups, and Hollywood donors.”Penny Young Nance, Chief Executive Officer and President for Concerned Women for America, said, "This is the ultimate violence against women. There are more than 160 million 'missing girls' in the world, 'missing' because they were killed for one reason — they were girls. Condoning sex-selection abortions feeds into the idea that women are less valuable than men and are objects to be tossed aside. According to a 2006 Zogby poll, sex-selection abortions are opposed by more than 86 percent of Americans. Because of gendercide, there are now approximately 37 million more males living in China than women. Sex-selection abortions have devastating societal consequences which could impact the country's stability, such as increased kidnapping and sex trafficking. Sadly, sex-selection abortions aren't just a problem for other countries, they happen every day here in America. Every child deserves the right to live, regardless of its sex. Our Founding Fathers clearly delineated the right to life as one that is unalienable and endowed by our Creator. It is horrific that in America today babies are being killed on the basis of their sex or race."
