Trump drives anti-abortion stance at SOTU with KC girl who survived premature birth
A Missouri mother and her two-year-old daughter were two of President Donald Trump’s guests at Tuesday night’s State of the Union address.
Robin Schneider gave birth to her daughter Ellie after a pregnancy of just 21 weeks and 6 days in 2017. Ellie received care at St. Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and survived despite facing long odds.
At the time of her birth, Ellie was just 14 ounces, according to a 2017 KSHB report. The Schneiders, who live in Kansas City, attended as the president looks to highlight his anti-abortion stance.
Trump used the Schneider family’s story to call for an additional $50 million in funding for neonatal research and a ban on late-term abortions.
“Ellie reminds us that every child is a miracle of life. Thanks to modern medical wonders, 50 percent of very premature babies delivered at the hospital where Ellie was born now survive,” Trump said according to his prepared remarks.
“Incredible thing. Our goal should be to ensure that every baby has the best chance to thrive and grow just like Ellie.”
Members of both parties applauded as Trump recounted Ellie’s remarkable story of survival, but as he pivoted to his call for a ban on late-term abortions point only Republicans remained standing and cheering.
Across the country, states have passed laws that ban abortion outright in hopes of triggering a Supreme Court challenge that would overturn Roe v. Wade.
The Supreme Court has ruled that states cannot limit abortion in stages where the fetus could not live outside of the womb, or be considered “viable.”
In Schneider’s home state of Missouri, a law to ban abortion after 8 weeks of pregnancy was paused by a federal court judge, who noted the state did not present evidence of a fetus being able to survive outside of the womb at even 20 weeks of pregnancy. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals is set to hear Missouri’s appeal in April.
The U.S. Supreme Court will take up the issue of abortion in March, when hears a challenge to Louisiana regulations surrounding abortion providers. The law is similar to a Texas statute the court struck down three years ago. However, anti-abortion proponents hope that changes in the court, with the recent appointment of Brett Kavanaugh, could lead to a different outcome.
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 2:21 PM.
