House of Representatives Blocks Legislation Protecting Unborn Girls from Sex-Selection Abortion

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After a Thursday afternoon vote, the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA) of 2012 failed to reach the two-thirds threshold required to pass the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation would restrict abortions motivated by sex discrimination.

Tom McClusky, Senior Vice President for Family Research Council Action (FRC Action), had the following to say:

"We are deeply saddened that the U.S. House of Representatives would vote to keep sex-selection abortion legal in this country. That anyone on either side of the political aisle would vote against a bill preventing gendercide in the United States is profoundly troubling.

"Given that CDC data suggests sex-selection abortion is occurring in our country, and a recent undercover video released this week by Live Action showing Planned Parenthood's willingness to facilitate a sex-selection abortion, the American public cannot ignore this sexist practice.

"But because of lobbying by Planned Parenthood and the White House, the bill to protect against sex-selection abortion failed. We applaud the 246 Members on both sides of the aisle who voted for the bill.

"We thank Rep. Trent Franks and the Republican leadership for holding a vote on this legislation to ban this tragic and discriminatory practice. We will continue to work with them to pass this legislation in the future, so that pre-born women across the nation will be protected from gendercide and sex discrimination," McClusky concluded.

SOURCE FRC Action