QUESTION: “On the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, Senator Sasse argues that this is needed because, under the current law, while you can’t outright kill a baby breathing outside the womb you can neglect it. What is your response?”
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer: “We — we voted on this before. It was defeated and Senate — and there’s a law in 2002 that is on the books — current law that covers everything Sasse is talking about. It’s a play to the hard right base. The American people don’t support it.”
The question contained the correct information, while Schumer’s answer didn’t. The 2002 law does not criminalize the denial of care to infants who have survived attempted abortions; nor does any other federal law.
Oh, and that “hard-right base” that Schumer thinks three Democratic senators, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins are playing to? It appears to include about 82 percent of the American people.