Bill > SR23

Introduced Session

This resolution urges the United States Congress to pass the "Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act" and to require all states to comply with the provisions of the law. In response to troubling indications that some abortion providers do not regard infants born alive during abortion procedures as legal persons, in 2002 the United States Congress enacted the "Born-Alive Infants Protection Act" ("BAIPA"), which provides legal protection to an infant who is born alive at any stage of development, regardless of whether the infant's delivery was the result of natural or induced labor, cesarean section, or induced abortion. Despite extending legal protections to infants who survive abortion attempts, "BAIPA" does not impose any penalties on physicians who neglect to provide medical care for these infants. In the years since "BAIPA" was enacted, evidence has come to light that some abortion providers still do not regard infants born alive during abortion procedures as legal persons, and do not provide them the same degree of medical care that they would provide to premature infants who are born spontaneously. As of 2014, only 26 U.S. states had some kind of statute mandating care for infants born alive after an attempted abortion, and some U.S. states have recently proposed or enacted bills that would remove existing protections. The recently-introduced federal "Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act" addresses this problem by imposing criminal penalties on an individual who fails to provide medical care to an infant born alive during an abortion procedure, or who intentionally kills or attempts to kill an infant who survives an attempted abortion.

Committee Categories

Joe Pennacchio (R)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee (on 01/18/2022)

Official Document