Who knows?


Representative Trent Franks raised the issue of Kermit Gosnell with Attorney General Eric Holder today, asking if the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act has ever been enforced. The attorney general of the United States, the week of Gosnell’s conviction, has no idea. 

From the exchange:
 
FRANKS: In, 2002, Congress enacted the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act that provides that all federal protections — including from your office, sir — for persons apply to every infant born alive. So will you enforce the infant — the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act as attorney general and will you consider carefully what’s happening in clinics across the country like happened at the clinic that Kermit Gosnell ran?
 
HOLDER: Well, like you, I share the many of the concerns that you talked about. I’m a father. I have three kids. And I am interestingly married to a woman who is a obstetrician, gynecologist, very accomplished in her field. I have responsibilities as attorney general to enforce all the laws that congress passes.
 
FRANKS: Have you ever enforced this law even one time?
 
HOLDER: I don’t know . . .
 
FRANKS: Will you get back to us on that? Have you ever enforced the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act even one time.
 
HOLDER: We can examine that, since the law was passed you said in 2002, how many prosecutions there have been under that law.
 
REP FRANKS: There’s been 18,000 opportunities a year since then approximately. So I’m just wondering if you’ve even enforced once?
 
AG HOLDER: I don’t know whether there was enforcement during the Bush administration or the Obama administration since the passage of the law in 2002. I just don’t know what the statistics are.  — May 15, 2013