Bill > H1330

This bill amends Chapter 272 of the General Laws to address two distinct offenses: concealing the death of a child and the sale or purchase of minor children. Firstly, it revises Section 22 to establish penalties for anyone who hides the death of a child in a way that prevents determining if the child was born alive or, if born alive, whether they were murdered, with potential imprisonment of up to five years in state prison or two and a half years in a house of correction. Secondly, it introduces a new Section 22A, which criminalizes the act of trading, selling, or arranging the sale of a minor child for any form of payment or valuable consideration, as well as the act of receiving a minor child under such circumstances, also carrying a penalty of up to five years in state prison or two and a half years in a house of correction.