President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will sign an executive order to protect premature babies or babies who survived an abortion.

Donald Trump
(Photo : Reutersconnect)

In an appeal to conservative and religious voters, Trump's order will ensure medical care for premature babies, said a report from The Hill.

Trump disclosed a pre-recorded address to the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.

"Today, I am announcing that I will be signing the Born Alive Executive Order to assure that all precious babies born alive, no matter their circumstances, receive the medical care that they deserve," he said.

He said protecting premature babies was a "sacrosanct moral duty."

The president added that his administration would also increase the federal funding for neonatal research, said a Washington Times report.

In his speech, Trump said he wanted to "ensure that every child has the best chance to thrive and grow."

Trump also touted the importance of Catholic schools in offering underserved children with a chance at better education, said a New York Post report.

What Does Trump's Order Do?

It's not clear what the order does since the text was not yet available after the announcement.

The White House also declined to comment on the details of the order. A date of when it may be signed was also not given by officials.

It was meant to strengthen pro-life efforts, but specifics were not dived into. NBC affiliate WKYC said it clear that it was part of Trump's election-year push to appeal to voters who oppose abortion.

A source for Bloomberg also echoed what was said in the president's speech. They said the order would highlight existing laws that offer protections for unborn and premature babies.

Trump has long supported a bill that goes by the same name sponsored by Sen. Ben Sasse. It gives fines or prison time for health care practitioners who fail to give care for babies showing signs of life after an abortion.

Doctors Push Back

Doctors, abortion rights groups, and Democrats argue that such instances rarely happen. They said the bill was unnecessary since a federal law for it already exists.

"It seems this administration will once again seek a solution to a nonexistent problem," said Jacqueline Ayers, vice president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

"An executive order like Donald Trump described would only spread misinformation, shame people who get abortions, and try to score low-hanging political points," she said.

A fetus can survive outside the womb at around 24 weeks of pregnancy. Only less than one percent of abortions in the U.S. in 2015 were performed after this point.

Many of the pregnancies were terminated because the fetus was not expected to survive, or the mother's life was at risk, experts said.

Infants who go through these abortions rarely survive. Drugs can be used to stop the fetal heartbeat before the procedure.

Sometimes some parents choose not to use the drugs to let their child die a natural death.

But with Sasse's bill, that option will be taken away from parents, said advocates.

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