
Republicans push to strengthen late-term abortion ban enforcement
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Two Republican representatives introduced new legislation Friday aimed at strengthening the enforcement of the 2003 Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. Representatives Keith Self of Texas and Andy Biggs of Arizona presented the Ensuring Justice for Victims of Partial-Birth Abortion Act, which would mandate the attorney general to investigate any violations of the existing ban and require annual reporting from the Department of Justice.
The legislation was developed in response to the discovery of five aborted babies, known as the “DC Five,” outside a Washington, D.C. abortion facility. At least one of these babies is suspected to have been terminated through a partial birth abortion procedure.
“Refusing medical care to a baby who survives an abortion isn’t ‘choice’—it’s pure evil.” @CarneyShawn on @tippingpointoan exposes the radical pro-abortion Left for unanimously voting against the Born Alive Act. This is barbarism, not healthcare. pic.twitter.com/rdKxdpuDps
— 40 Days for Life (@40daysforlife) January 28, 2025
“The DC-Five were innocent babies weeks from birth before their lives were brutally and barbarically snuffed out,” Self said in a statement announcing the bill. “DC authorities can no longer turn a blind eye to the law. I am hopeful that between President Trump’s pro-life agenda and this bill that strengthens enforcement of the PBABA, the rule of law will be enforced as it pertains to the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.”
According to the original legislation, partial birth abortions are defined as “an abortion in which a physician deliberately and intentionally vaginally delivers a living, unborn child’s body until either the entire baby’s head is outside the body of the mother, or any part of the baby’s trunk past the navel is outside the body of the mother and only the head remains inside the womb, for the purpose of performing an overt act (usually the puncturing of the back of the child’s skull and removing the baby’s brains) that the person knows will kill the partially delivered infant, performs this act, and then completes delivery of the dead infant.”
The new bill seeks to address perceived shortcomings in the Biden administration’s DOJ enforcement of the existing abortion law.
Democrats in Illinois passed a radical bill allowing abortions up until the moment of birth, including partial-birth abortion.
Stop what you’re doing and listen to Rep. @AveryBourne, who is pregnant, give a powerful speech condemning it.pic.twitter.com/sftK58kacV
— Ronna McDaniel (@RonnaMcDaniel) June 3, 2019
“In 2003, Congress enacted the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act to end the gruesome and inhumane practice of partial-birth abortion,” Marilyn Musgrave, vice president of Government Affairs for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said in a statement. “Yet Biden’s Department of Justice failed to investigate a suspected case of partial birth abortion right in the nation’s capital. The Ensuring Justice for Victims of Partial-Birth Abortion Act aims to fix this by demanding enforcement and investigation so that babies harmed by this brutal procedure get the justice they deserve. Thank you, Rep. Self, for strengthening enforcement of this important law to protect our most vulnerable.”
The Biden administration faced criticism for its approach to pro-life activists, particularly its frequent use of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act to prosecute individuals conducting peaceful protests at abortion facilities. Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump moved to pardon several pro-life activists who had been targeted during Biden’s tenure.