Share
Source: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
You would think it would be a given for babies born alive from failed abortions would receive lifesaving medical care, right? Unfortunately it is not, because such protections are not enforced. Instead, state legislatures have acted to pass what s known as born-alive protection act bills to send to their governors, though it s mostly Republicans signing legislation. Most Democratic governors have vetoed it. On Tuesday, Gov. Kay Ivey (R-AL) signed such legislation into law protecting these abortion survivors.
?? I’ve signed HB 237!
Alabama supports the right to life. I appreciate Rep. Ginny Shaver’s work on this critical bill, and I’m proud to sign this into law and cement our commitment to the unborn. #alpolitics Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) May 25, 2021
Alabama lawmakers pass bill requiring care for babies born alive after attempted abortions
Updated 10:09 PM;
The Alabama Legislature has passed a bill concerning the care for babies born alive after attempted abortions.
The bill says a doctor who attempts an abortion must provide the same level of care for a child who survives an abortion as a doctor would for any other child at birth.
Sen. Dan Roberts, R-Birmingham, who spoke for the bill in the Senate tonight, said the circumstances are rare but do occur.
Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Centre, is the sponsor of the bill. Shaver, who first introduced the bill in 2019, said she has worked as a crisis pregnancy counselor. She said a woman she counseled told her that her child was born alive after an attempted abortion and that the doctor did not provide care and the baby died.
Republicans in the Alabama House of Representatives are filibustering tonight to try to block a bill to legalize, regulate, and tax medical marijuana. Some lawmakers are making repeated trips to the mic to try to stop what the bill’s sponsor expects to be a favorable vote. Tonight marks the closest the bill has ever come to becoming law. It has passed the Senate three times but has never come .