All House Republicans back effort to force floor vote on ‘born alive’ bill

The entire House GOP conference is now in support of an effort to force a floor vote on an anti-abortion bill.

All 212 Republicans in the House are backing a discharge petition for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would require health care practitioners to provide care to infants who survive an attempted abortion.

Discharge petitions need 218 signatures to force a vote, meaning Republicans will fall short unless they can persuade any Democrats to cross the aisle. Three House Democrats signed on to a similar petition for the bill in the previous Congress, but none of those Democratic lawmakers are still in office.

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for petition sponsor Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) said they are “still encouraged that Democrats will sign the petition.”

All House Republicans backed the petition in the previous Congress.

This year’s petition received 202 of its 211 signatures on April 14, the day it was filed.

As of Friday, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (Texas) was the only Republican who had not formally signed the petition. Crenshaw has yet to return to Capitol Hill after undergoing emergency eye surgery in early April, but a spokesperson said the lawmaker is in “full support” of the petition.

House rules prevent members from being able to sign discharge petitions by proxy.

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) was the most recent lawmaker to sign the petition, on Wednesday. When asked earlier that day why he hadn’t signed it yet, his office said he would do so shortly.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who was chosen to replace Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as House conference chair on Friday, signed the petition Tuesday.

A spokesperson for Stefanik said the congresswoman had been home for the past month due to a family health emergency, delaying her signing of the petition.