Three babies survived botched abortions but later died in 2018 in Minnesota, according to a new state Department of Health report.

The news comes as Democrats in Congress block a federal bill to require that basic medical care be provided to newborns who survive abortions. Democrats have argued that legislation to protect abortion survivors is a waste of time and not necessary.

But data from Minnesota, the Centers for Disease Control and other sources indicate that babies do survive abortions, and laws are needed to protect them.

Minnesota has been keeping track of abortion survivors since 2015 when pro-lifers passed the state Born Alive Infants Protection Act. The law recognizes infants who survive abortions as human persons and requires that they be provided with reasonable medical care.

Since the law went into effect, state reports indicate that 11 babies have survived abortions: five in 2016, three in 2017 and three in 2018, according to Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life.

According to the most recent report:

For the calendar year of January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018, three (3) abortion procedures resulting in a born-alive infant were reported.

•In one instance, APGAR score was 1 at 1 and 5 minutes. There were anomalies incompatible with life. No measures taken to preserve life were reported and the infant did not survive.

•In one instance, comfort care measures were provided as planned and the infant did not survive.

•In one instance, the infant was previable. No measures taken to preserve life were reported and the infant did not survive.

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An APGAR score of one means the baby was observed as one of the following: flexed arms or legs, had a pulse (below 100 bpm), had a pink body with bluish hands/feet, displayed some level of breathing or showed facial movements such as a grimace or weak cry.

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, as well as the personal testimonies of nurses and abortion survivors themselves, also provide evidence that babies survive abortions. According to the CDC, at least 143 babies were born alive after botched abortions between 2003 and 2014 in the U.S., though there may be more.

Research by the American Center for Law and Justice estimated the number is much higher, at least 362 between 2001 and 2010.

Data from other countries shows a need for protections as well. The Canadian Institute of Health Information reported 766 late-term, live-birth abortions over a five-year period. In Western Australia, at least 27 babies survived abortions between 1999 and 2016, according to the state’s health minister.

However, approximately 18 states do not have laws to protect abortion survivors from infanticide. Some states never have passed laws to protect abortion survivors, while at least two others, New York and Illinois, repealed their laws requiring medical care for infants who survive abortions.

Texas recently passed a law strengthening protections for infants who survive abortions. The state legislatures in Montana, North Carolina and Wisconsin did as well; however, their Democratic governors vetoed the legislation. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers argued that the legislation was “not a productive use of time.”