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