State Senator Pat Boone District 27
New Mexico is the worst educated and most dangerous state in the country. The things we are “good” at are shameful, namely, being an abortion destination state. We make headlines for all the wrong reasons: needing to deploy the National Guard to the “War Zone” of Albuquerque and finding dead newborns thrown away in dumpsters. For New Mexicans reading this, you cannot honestly say you’re proud of these factual statements regarding our state.
It breaks my heart to learn the news when an innocent newborn has been mercilessly discarded in a dumpster like garbage. I believe most New Mexicans, regardless of political affiliation, feel the same way. Unfortunately, situations such as this have the potential to be avoided if not for the road blocking which Democrat lawmakers in the Roundhouse have done to proposed fixes to our state’s Safe Haven for Infants Act.
For context, Safe Haven Baby Boxes allow for a mother of an unwanted baby to anonymously surrender that child in a secure device and leave without any further burden. That device then alerts appropriate officials to the location in order to render medical aid and begin the process of finding a loving home for that once unwanted child. The brilliant design of these devices and the process for the mothers who use it is oftentimes more desirable than bringing a baby into a fire station or hospital in person. The prospect of anonymity is critical for the mother, and ultimately, for the life of the unwanted child. Unfortunately, Republican efforts to adjust language in our current Safe Haven for Infants Act to ensure anonymity of the mother were stonewalled by Democrats in this year’s legislative session. Rather than make necessary changes to our existing state law in order to expand access statewide for already fully funded Safe Haven Baby Boxes, Democrats voted against it, leaving countless communities across the state without this option for mothers.
While the legislature is a tough place to get anything productive done, I take particular issue with the fact that Democrats seemingly can’t find common ground on the issue of Safe Haven Baby Boxes but rather, are able to fund the construction of yet another $10 million abortion clinic. Statistically, abortions are declining in New Mexico yet, the priority of the progressive Democrats in our state remains fixated on further pushing women to choose abortion.
If Democrats claim to be the party of a woman’s right to choose, why are they seemingly promoting only ONE choice for a pregnant woman? Why aren’t they interested in providing multiple choices to these women? Moreover, Democrats have continued prioritizing abortions over saving the lives of innocent children and are further destroying our state by allowing for rampant crime and a deteriorating education system. My hope is that despite our vast differences in priorities, lawmakers across the aisle can let commonsense prevail and help us pass this critical legislation. Until then, my fellow New Mexicans, elections have consequences.
