N.C. Democrats’ Group Defended Infanticide: “Where a Baby is Born Alive…Families Have a Choice”

“Where a baby is born alive after a pregnancy is cut short, families have a choice about the next course of action,” Democrats’ dark money group wrote

Raleigh, N.C. – Though Gov. Roy Cooper claimed the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act he vetoed addresses “a practice that simply does not exist,” an advocacy group closely aligned with state Democrats disagreed and directly defended infanticide.

A website operated by a 501(c)(4) advocacy group ‘Real Facts NC’ – a dark money group closely aligned with North Carolina Democrats – defended infanticide in April:

“In rare cases where a baby is born alive after a pregnancy is cut short, families have a choice about the next course of action,” wrote state Democrats’ advocacy group Real Facts NC on its website in April.

“This bill would force doctors to attempt resuscitation, even if against the wishes of the family,” the Democrats’ advocacy organization complained.   

Democrats’ advocacy group later edited the post to match Gov. Cooper’s false claim that the practice does not exist, but archives confirm the group directly defended infanticide first.

The same post still falsely claims that “abortions are banned after 20 weeks” in North Carolina, despite a federal judge striking down the law in May.

A source consulted by PolitiFactNC agreed with Democrats’ original claim that the Born Alive scenario “does happen,” disagreeing with Gov. Cooper’s false claim that the practice “does not exist.”

“Allowing to die does happen,” Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist at New York University Langone Medical Center told PolitiFactNC.

PolitiFactNC also wrote “it’s unclear how often newborns are being intentionally left to die” but linked to a study by the Center for Disease Control “that found 143 cases where death was induced.”

Pro-abortion activists in North Carolina agree the practice of allowing children to die after they’re born alive does exist, telling Raleigh television station ABC 11 that “it’s happening,”  despite Gov. Cooper’s false claim to the contrary.

“This Born Alive scenario is something if it happens, it’s happening in a hospital setting,” said Kelsea Mclain, a representative of Triangle for Choice.

Republican Rep. Pat McElraft (R-Carteret), a primary sponsor of the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, said Gov. Cooper misled North Carolinians by falsely claiming the practice of allowing born alive babies to die does not exist.

Rep. McElraft says since there is no reporting requirement of such instances in North Carolina – which the Born Alive bill would also add – the public has no way to know how often it occurs.

“It’s beyond horrific for North Carolina Democrats to not only defend that “families have a choice” when “a baby is born alive,” but to complain that doctors could be forced to care for a living, breathing child outside the womb,” said Rep. Pat McElraft (R-Carteret).   

State House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) announced Wednesday that the chamber would hold a final vote to override Gov. Cooper’s veto of S.B. 359 Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act on Wednesday, June 5, 2019.

“Gov. Cooper and Democrats don’t want to admit he vetoed a bill to save the lives of born alive little children – North Carolinians who are breathing on their own fully outside the womb – by contradicting themselves and claiming the practice does not exist when the evidence indicates it does,” Moore said.