Ben Sasse

Opinion contributor

Infanticide shouldn’t be a partisan issue. Every single public servant should be able to say it’s wrong to leave newborn babies to die. Sadly, that’s not happening.

Ralph Northam, Virginia’s disgraced Democratic governor, described late last month what might happen to a baby who survived a late-term abortion under a bill that had been proposed in his state: “The infant would be delivered,” he explained. “The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated, if that’s what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”

Northam’s frankness is rare. No euphemisms. No weasel words.

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According to Gov. Northam, in the event of a botched abortion an “infant” — alive and outside the womb — can and, in some cases, should be left to die if that's what is "desired." He endorsed infanticide. And when he was asked about his comments, he doubled down.

Unfortunately, it’s not just Gov. Northam.

Congress must stand up to pro-abortion lobby

Last week, in the wake of his remarks, I asked the U.S. Senate to pass by unanimous consent the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. This bill, which I originally introduced more than two years ago, would simply require doctors present during a botched abortion — an abortion that results in the birth of a living infant — to provide the same level of care that would be offered to any other baby at the same stage of development.

This is nothing more than the absolute minimum in humane treatment. A baby, gasping on an abortion-clinic table, should not be left to die.

But some Democrats blocked the bill. Some of my colleagues across the aisle either agree with Gov. Northam — or don’t have the courage to stand up to him and people like him.

The days of slogans like “safe, legal and rare” are done. Today, an extreme pro-abortion lobby is advocating for abortion anytime and for any reason — even after the baby has left the womb. New York state, for example, recently repealed section 4164 of New York’s public health law, which specified that a child born alive during a botched abortion was protected by that state's laws. Under pressure from a big abortion industry that hands out millions of dollars in campaign donations, some Democrats have become so extreme that they will not take a stand even against outright infanticide.

Americans know better, babies deserve better

This is crazy and most Americans know better. This kind of radicalism is wildly out of step with the American public, and President Donald Trump was right to highlight it in his recent State of the Union address.

But even more important, it’s out of step with who we are as Americans. We hold to the principle of equality. We know that every life is precious, and that every person is endowed with inextinguishable dignity. We know that the weak, the vulnerable and the innocent deserve protection, not exploitation.

It should not be difficult for the members of the U.S. Congress to affirm that a child, outside the womb, deserves the protections of our law. It should not be controversial to say that a child, cold and naked on a table, deserves to be treated with dignity and humanity. It should not require courage to declare that we are a country that knows life is something to be cherished, not something to be tossed on the trash heap.

It’s painful to know that we are divided over an issue as fundamental as whether a baby taking her first breaths ought to be sheltered by our laws from neglect, abuse and worse.

But I remain hopeful, because I know that life wins. The love we see every day in the eyes of moms and dads for their newborn babies is an inescapable reminder of what we all know deep down to be true: that the tiniest baby is part of our human family, to be loved and cherished and protected.

I intend to continue pushing for the protection of the infant survivors of abortion, and it’s my hope that in time every member of Congress, and every American, will commit themselves to the principle and the promise that ours is a country that values and loves and protects every single member of our community — no matter how small.

Ben Sasse is a Republican U.S. senator from Nebraska. Follow him on Twitter @SenSasse.