WASHINGTON, D.C. (WordNews.org) Dec. 6, 2011 — A House subcommittee is hearing testimony today related to a bill that would ban all abortions committed on the bases of the baby’s sex or race.

Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Steven H. Aden is scheduled to provide testimony today at 1 p.m. before the House Judiciary Committee in support of the bill.

“Every innocent life deserves to be protected, and that’s especially true of babies being targeted for death simply because of their sex or race,” said Aden. “There is nothing medically necessary or constitutionally protected about an abortion that is committed on the basis of sex or race.”

The bill, called the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (H.R. 3541), was crafted to prevent the practice of profiting commercially from abortion on babies of a certain sex or race if the purpose is to target that sex or race. The bill applies only to persons who commit, finance, or coerce a sex- or race-selection abortion and does not allow for prosecution of the mother.

Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, reintroduced the bill last week. He originally introduced it in 2009.

In a prepared statement requested by the committee, Aden explained that “the Supreme Court has made it clear that States have a compelling interest in eliminating discrimination against women and minorities…. H.R. 3541 is conceived and drafted pursuant to sound constitutional authority and the best tradition of this nation’s commitment to civil rights and equality for all of its citizens.”