This was originally published on March 7 by the Virginia Family Foundation.
On Friday, March 4, a Senate Rules committee, comprised of 12 Democrats and 4 Republicans, voted 11 – 4 to pass by indefinitely (i.e., defeat) HB 304, carried by Delegate Nick Freitas (R-30, Culpeper), with Senator Chap Petersen (D-34, Fairfax) joining three Republicans (Norment, McDougle, Newman) in support of the bill. (Senator Jill Vogel (R-27, Warrenton) was not present and did not vote.) The bill, referred to as “The Born Alive Human Infant Protection Act,” would have required a licensed physician to provide reasonable medical care for any baby that survives a failed abortion and do everything to preserve the life, including transferring the baby to a hospital for further medical care.
Prior to Friday, HB 304 was supposed to be going to the Senate Judiciary committee where it actually appeared to have the votes to pass, BUT Democratic leadership moved mountains to make sure that didn’t happen. There is so much more to this story that you need to know.
On February 25, a Senate Education and Health subcommittee on Health Professions recommended that HB 304 be referred to the Senate Judiciary committee. While Senator Joe Morrissey (D-16, Richmond), the only pro-life Democrat, sits on that committee, Democrats still hold a 9-6 advantage over the Republicans; therefore, two Democrats needed to join the pro-life Republicans to get the bill out of committee to the Senate floor, where it would then pass.
However, last week when the bill was never placed on the Judiciary committee docket the rumors started to swirl, including one that Democrat leadership would rather violate their tradition of giving every bill a hearing than to vote on a bill to prevent infanticide. The other rumor, which apparently turned out to be true, was that HB 304 had a chance of making it out of the Senate Judiciary because Senator Petersen (D) was also willing to support it, at least in committee.
Most likely as a result of Sen. Petersen’s willingness to vote for HB 304, on March 3rd the Senate Education and Health committee decided to send the bill to the Senate Rules Committee instead – a committee that does not specialize in health policy and is heavily tilted in the Democrat’s favor by a 4-1 ratio! That proved to be the case, because on March 4th the Senate Rules committee voted 11- 4 to defeat HB 304, with Senator Petersen (D) joining the three Republicans against the motion.
Had the bill been referred to the Senate Judiciary committee as recommended by the Senate Education and Health subcommittee, it’s almost certain that it would’ve been reported, passed the Senate, and become law. Yet, the radical pro-abortion Democrat leadership is so beholden to Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry that they will go to extreme lengths to kill a bill that would ensure a baby who survives an abortion, and is suffering, receives medical treatment.
