Republicans in the House of Representatives today passed a bill requiring doctors to provide all care to babies “born alive” after an abortion, a bill that Democrats rejected, noting that there are already legal provisions on the issue.

The bill, which must now be approved by the Senate, requires doctors to provide newborns “born alive” after an abortion with “the same degree of professional competence, care and custody” as any newborn infant.

Violating doctors will face fines as well as up to five years in prison.

Despite the fact that a similar bill was not approved by the Senate on Wednesday, Republicans wanted to see Democrats publicly vote against a measure that they stress is intended to combat infanticide.

“Tragically, Democrats in the House are opposed to the bill, voted in favor of infanticide and chose to deny medical care to babies crying on operating tables, fighting for their lives,” said House Speaker Republican Mike Johnson.

US President Donald Trump boasts that during his first term he appointed three conservative justices to the US Supreme Court, who voted in June 2022 to invalidate federal protection of abortion rights.

Since then, about 20 states have banned abortion or imposed very strict restrictions.

The vast majority of abortions in the US are performed before the fetus is viable outside the womb: fewer than 1.3% are performed after 21 weeks of pregnancy, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).