Sen. Ben Sasse (R., Neb.) fired back at CNN on Thursday for the network's delay in correcting a Tuesday report that referred to a baby as a "fetus that was born."
"Just read the bill. The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act is about babies who have already been born," Sasse said to the Washington Free Beacon. "I’m glad CNN finally made the correction, but there’s no reason this needed to take two days. Planned Parenthood desperately wants to misrepresent this bipartisan, pro-babies bill, and unfortunately too many reporters have bought their spin hook, line, and sinker."
On Tuesday, CNN reported that Sasse's bill, which would mandate doctors to treat babies who survive abortions, and Sen. Lindsay Graham's (R., S.C.) bill, which would ban abortion after 20 weeks, were both "abortion restriction" bills. Describing Sasse's bill, CNN's report referred to a child that survives an abortion as a "fetus that was born" and differentiated it from a "newborn baby." CNN later corrected its piece to more accurately reflect the language in Sasse's bill.
The Nebraska senator clashed with Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) on the Senate floor Tuesday, arguing that Durbin and his Democratic colleagues were mischaracterizing his bill.
"There's nothing in the bill that's about abortion. Nothing. It's about infanticide. That's the actual legislation," Sasse said. "And you got 44 people over there who want to hide from it and talk in euphemisms about abortion because they don't want to defend the indefensible. Because you can't defend the indefensible. We're talking about killing babies that are born."
Sasse also said on the floor that CNN had misrepresented his legislation on TV that morning.
"CNN said this morning on TV, they made up this insane phrase: They said, 'a fetus that has been born.' What the heck is that? It's another way of saying they don't want to debate the actual debate we're having on the floor today."
Sasse's Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act and Graham's Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act failed to pass on the Senate floor Tuesday evening.