Contact: Susan Armacost, Legislative Director, 877-855-5007, sarmacost@wrtl.org; Barbara L. Lyons, Executive Director, 877-855-5007, admin@wrtl.org; both with Wisconsin Right To Life

MADISON, Wisc., August 13 /Standard Newswire/ -- The National Right to Life Committee has obtained documents that prove presidential candidate Barack Obama has been blatantly covering up his actions as an Illinois state senator to actively defeat legislation to protect the lives of living, breathing babies who survive abortion attempts.

Douglas Johnson, the organization's legislative director, released the documents from 2003 this week revealing that Obama voted for a "neutrality clause" amendment to an Illinois bill requiring treatments for the tiny abortion survivors and led the charge in committee to kill the amended bill by a 6-4 vote.

"The Illinois born alive bill is virtually identical to a federal law he now is saying he would have supported had he been in the U.S. Senate at the time the bill was voted on," said Susan Armacost, Legislative Director for Wisconsin Right to Life.

The need for the legislation on both the federal and state levels was sparked by Jill Stanek, a nurse who worked at Christ Hospital in Chicago who blew the lid on the hospital's practice of inducing premature labor in women seeking late-term abortions.  However, some of these babies were born breathing and alive.  Eyewitness accounts revealed that babies were left on the cold counter in the soiled linen room until they died. 

In 2002, the U.S. Congress responded by enacting the Born Alive Infant Protection Act (BAIPA) with not a single dissenting vote in either house.  Included in the bill was a "neutrality clause" which read:  "Nothing in this section shall be construed to affirm, deny, expand, or contract any legal status or legal right applicable to any member of the species homo sapiens at any point to being 'born alive' as defined in this section."  With this clarification that unborn babies were not included in the bill's provisions, even solidly pro-abortion senators like Ted Kennedy, Russ Feingold and Hillary Clinton allowed the bill to be passed and it was signed into law by President Bush. The National Abortion Rights Action League also removed its opposition.

Since the bill only applied to federal law, many states introduced born alive legislation to protect abortion survivors in their own states. In 2003, after the 2002 federal bill with the "neutrality clause" had passed, Barack Obama was the chair of the Illinois State Senate  Health and Human Services Committee which presided over the Illinois born alive bill which contained a "neutrality clause" virtually identical to the federal law.

"Barack Obama had the opportunity to right a terrible wrong that was occurring right under his nose," said Armacost.  "But instead, he used the power of his committee chairmanship to prevent Illinois doctors and nurses to attempt to save the lives of living babies, fully separated from their mothers, leaving them to die alone - in the dark - in filthy conditions."

Obama has repeatedly stated during his presidential campaign that his votes on three separate occasions against Illinois legislation to provide treatment for babies who survive abortion attempts were because there was no "neutrality clause" and he feared that the legislation would negatively impact Roe v. Wade.

"Barack Obama is blatantly trying to cover up his infanticide votes," said Armacost.  "The heartlessness and callousness of this individual needs to be exposed. The vast majority of Americans care about protecting human life.  They deserve to know the truth about Barack Obama's utter disregard for human life."