Following the gruesome details revealed in the trial of Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and 10 of his colleagues are calling for the Senate to “investigate and correct abusive, unsanitary, and illegal abortion practices.”
The resolution, introduced Monday, pushes the Senate to gather information about the abortion industry and any illegal, unsafe or abusive practices. In an accompanying statement, Lee denounces the abortion practices of Gosnell as “disturbing and heartbreaking.”
“The lack of oversight at abortion facilities puts women’s lives at risk and leads to the kind of unconscionable practices we have seen recently,” Lee also writes. “The Senate should formally recognize that this is a problem in our country and we have a responsibility to investigate the causes, review the effects of certain public policies, and determine what we can do to prevent any woman from being subjected to these reprehensible practices again.”
The resolution is also sponsored by Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), David Vitter (R-La.), Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), John Boozman (R-Ariz.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
Back in February on 2012, Lee also introduced the “District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,” which would make abortions illegal in Washington after the 20th week of pregnancy, the point at which doctors say a child can experience pain. The bill died in committee.
As of Tuesday, the jury in Gosnell’s case is in its sixth day of deliberation, as Reuters reports. The doctor is charged with third-degree murder for killing one woman and first-degree murder for killing four infants at his clinic.
