MR

Obama Blocked Born Alive Infant Protection Act

by Jill Stanek, guest reporter

He often stood alone as an Illinois lawmaker in opposition to protections for babies who survived abortion.


Note: This report first appeared in the April issue of Citizen magazine.

On Jan. 10, 2005, newly elected U.S. Sen. Barack Obama visited former colleagues and staffers at the Illinois state Capitol, where he had served seven years as state senator. I happened to be at the Capitol that day, too, and a friend and I took the opportunity to speak to Obama, who had not yet achieved rock-star status and was still approachable.

We were in Springfield to lobby for passage of the state Born Alive Infant Protection Act, legislation that would require hospitals to care for infants who survive an abortion. Obama spoke against the legislation in 2001 and 2002 and single-handedly defeated it in committee in 2003.

My friend stood in Obama’s path and said, “Senator, we are going to pass Born Alive here in Illinois this year.”

Obama smiled smoothly and agreed, “I think you will,” adding, “I would have voted for the Born Alive Infant Protection Act in Illinois had it been worded the same as the federal bill. I think that’s the position the Democrats should take.”

There’s just one thing he forgot to mention: Obama had stopped his committee from adding the federal wording.

With Obama no longer in the state Senate, the Born Alive legislation passed in 2005.

First encounter

An Illinois lawmaker offered the first draft of the state’s Born Alive Infant Protection Act in 2001 after I revealed publicly that Christ Hospital left babies who survived abortion — viable babies whose delivery was induced, and whom the abortionist intended to kill but somehow survived — in a utility room to die.

The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Patrick O’Malley of Oak Lawn defined “born alive” using language identical to that of federal legislation introduced in 2000 by Rep. Charles Canady, R-Fla., who in turn drafted wording developed by the World Health Organization in 1950 and adopted by the United Nations in 1955:

The term “born alive,” with respect to a member of the species homo sapiens, means the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of that member, at any stage of development, who after such expulsion or extraction breathes or has a beating heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, regardless of whether the umbilical cord has been cut, and regardless of whether the expulsion or extraction occurs as a result of natural or induced labor, cesarean section, or induced abortion.

I first encountered Barack Obama on March 27, 2001, when I testified before the Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee, of which he was a member. My testimony included my description of holding a premature aborted baby until he died:

One night, a nursing co-worker was taking an aborted Down’s syndrome baby who was born alive to our Soiled Utility Room because his parents did not want to hold him, and she did not have time to hold him. I could not bear the thought of this suffering child dying alone in a Soiled Utility Room, so I cradled and rocked him for the 45 minutes that he lived. He was 21 to 22 weeks old, weighed about ½ pound, and was about 10 inches long. He was too weak to move very much, expending any energy he had trying to breathe. Toward the end, he was so quiet that I couldn’t tell if he was still alive unless I held him up to the light to see if his heart was still beating through his chest wall. After he was pronounced dead, we folded his little arms across his chest, wrapped him in a tiny shroud, and carried him to the hospital morgue where all of our dead patients are taken.

Obama questioned whether the born alive legislation would impede the right to abort and doctor/patient decision-making. He and an American Civil Liberties Union attorney speculated Born Alive would force doctors to resuscitate nonviable aborted babies.

Obama opposed Born Alive in committee, but voted “present” — neither “yes” nor “no,” but merely “present” — on the state Senate floor, one of many “present” votes that Hillary Clinton has cited as evidence that Obama lacks leadership skills. Clinton voted for the federal Born Alive bill, putting her on record as more pro-life than Obama.

Rhiannon wrote:Obama sucks at morality.

RedWingFan wrote:Yeah, but my reason for posting it isn't that Obama defended it but to the fact that it's allowed to go on at all.

Rhiannon wrote:

RedWingFan wrote:Yeah, but my reason for posting it isn't that Obama defended it but to the fact that it's allowed to go on at all.

True. My gut sank reading the story.
I can't stand to know of a kitten or puppy dying, much much less the thought of a poor baby.
Fuck Obama and his "present" votes. And people want him in the White House.

conversationpc wrote:This kind of crap really tears me up. I usually can't even watch a movie or TV program where a child is being abused much less thinking about this kind of thing going on in real life.

Wildfire wrote:Oh, BTW..Obama sucks swamp ass.

Rhiannon wrote: But she didn't make it home in time. The little thing died in my arms.

bluejeangirl76 wrote:

Rhiannon wrote: But she didn't make it home in time. The little thing died in my arms.

You just leveled me. I can't handle sad animals stories one bit.

Gunbot wrote:

bluejeangirl76 wrote:

Rhiannon wrote: But she didn't make it home in time. The little thing died in my arms.

You just leveled me. I can't handle sad animals stories one bit.

I guess you wouldn't be a fan of the series "All Creatures Great And Small". Some wonderful true animal stories but a few heart wrenchers.

bluejeangirl76 wrote:

Gunbot wrote:

bluejeangirl76 wrote:

Rhiannon wrote: But she didn't make it home in time. The little thing died in my arms.

You just leveled me. I can't handle sad animals stories one bit.

I guess you wouldn't be a fan of the series "All Creatures Great And Small". Some wonderful true animal stories but a few heart wrenchers.

I love Animal Planet but I don't watch the shows like Animal Precinct, et al.

bluejeangirl76 wrote:

Rhiannon wrote: But she didn't make it home in time. The little thing died in my arms.

You just leveled me. I can't handle sad animals stories one bit.

Rhiannon wrote:

bluejeangirl76 wrote:

Rhiannon wrote: But she didn't make it home in time. The little thing died in my arms.

You just leveled me. I can't handle sad animals stories one bit.

I started to tell you that story yesterday when I was telling you about Boo'keeee.

artist4perry wrote:Rhiannon, I am sorry for your ordeal.

I will not be popular here I know, but I feel they call a baby a fetus, because it is easier to kill something that you don't consider human. I cherish all life.

Rhiannon wrote:And if I hadn't found it in the woods, it would have died alone. Nothing should have to die alone.

bluejeangirl76 wrote:I bet you have a little kitty guardian angel.

jrnyjunky wrote:I think that the story about Obama is terrible. And it hurts my heart to know that babies are left to die all alone. But I think we are a visual society, and people don't really get the impact of something like that unless they actually see it happen. My hubby and I were foster parents for about 5 years and the things people do to their kids is just unbelievable. People kill their kids every day, and when people hear about it they are like "OMG thats terrible" and then they forget about it. They don't think about the last years, few hours or minutes of that childs life and what it was like. If they seen it happen, that would be a different story. If they seen the baby get punched or shaken by someone, then they would feel different about it.

We had a incident in my community awhile ago and this guy raped his girlfriends 18 month old son. The little guy ended up dying. But he also had croup, so they said that becuse the little guy had croup, they couldn't get him for murder. Come on, the guy raped an 18 month old. I say leave him in a room with 10 moms and a baseball bat. And I can gurantee that if I had the ball bat, I wouldn't be using it to hit him. I wrote a letter to our Attorney General and not suprising, did not get a response. Its shit like that that pisses me off about the legal system. Fry his ass...

Rhiannon wrote:

artist4perry wrote:Rhiannon, I am sorry for your ordeal.

Oh, you're too sweet... I bawled a river and cuddled it an hour or so before we buried it. I felt in the end it was a blessing to have found it because it breaks my heart to think of any living soul having to go through life (no matter how long or short) without ever knowing warmth and love. And if I hadn't found it in the woods, it would have died alone. Nothing should have to die alone. So I do actually thank God it happened like it did.

I will not be popular here I know, but I feel they call a baby a fetus, because it is easier to kill something that you don't consider human. I cherish all life.

People love to slap labels on things to lessen the reality of the situation. I, obviously, agree with you. Everything deserves to have a fighting chance.
We are charged by not only God but also by the passion of conviction to be good people to do what is right by children. And in my opinion, the moment that period doesn't come, that baby is a living human. Blastocyst and all.

artist4perry wrote:

jrnyjunky wrote:I think that the story about Obama is terrible. And it hurts my heart to know that babies are left to die all alone. But I think we are a visual society, and people don't really get the impact of something like that unless they actually see it happen. My hubby and I were foster parents for about 5 years and the things people do to their kids is just unbelievable. People kill their kids every day, and when people hear about it they are like "OMG thats terrible" and then they forget about it. They don't think about the last years, few hours or minutes of that childs life and what it was like. If they seen it happen, that would be a different story. If they seen the baby get punched or shaken by someone, then they would feel different about it.

We had a incident in my community awhile ago and this guy raped his girlfriends 18 month old son. The little guy ended up dying. But he also had croup, so they said that becuse the little guy had croup, they couldn't get him for murder. Come on, the guy raped an 18 month old. I say leave him in a room with 10 moms and a baseball bat. And I can gurantee that if I had the ball bat, I wouldn't be using it to hit him. I wrote a letter to our Attorney General and not suprising, did not get a response. Its shit like that that pisses me off about the legal system. Fry his ass...

Where do we sign up?

Beleive me, if Iknew, I would be first in line. Criminals have to damn many rights.

Rhiannon wrote:

conversationpc wrote:This kind of crap really tears me up. I usually can't even watch a movie or TV program where a child is being abused much less thinking about this kind of thing going on in real life.

Random story: I found this stray cat at a hostel in my hometown when I was in high school. I lived on a farm, we had a herd of cats (and dogs, and horses). This one cat took to me and everytime she was about to drop a mess of kittens she'd come find me to make her a little birthing room and to help her. She had been abused before I found her and apparently someone had kicked her in the mouth to where her lower lip rolled under her chin a bit and she couldn't always get the placenta torn off the kittens properly so I'd do it for her.

When I moved away for the first time at 16 my Mom called me and said she had had kittens down in the woods and she couldn't find them. So I had to come over to the farm and see if Bookitty would take me to them, and sure enough she did. There were five, and one that was barely making it. Got them back up to the house and my Mom ran out to get a nursing bottle and some stuff so we could feed it and get it healthy. They'd been in the woods for a few days at the time.

I sat there and cradled that kitten while my mom was gone, cleaned the dirt out of its mouth with a wet q-tip and such... prayed so hard for her to hurry and get back so it could eat. But she didn't make it home in time. The little thing died in my arms.

Point: How anybody could let that happen to an infant is astounding. Everything deserves its own shot at life, and as helpless beings rely on us to give them that chance. I can't understand things like the story above. I just don't.