The Alabama House of Representatives has passed a “born-alive” bill which, if approved by its Senate, would protect babies who survive attempted abortions.

The House passed the bill 76-12. Should the Senate approve the legislation, pro-life Republican Governor Kay Ivey would almost certainly sign it into law.

There have been two previous attempts in Alabama to pass such a bill.

According to both federal and Alabama law, it is not currently illegal for an abortionist to disregard or ignore a baby who survives an abortion. Although the 2002 Born-Alive Infant Protection Act classified such survivors as “persons” and “human beings”, there is still no legal structure in place for enforcing that recognition.

Every year since 2019, Democrats in the U.S. Senate have also voted against the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Bill, which would enforce the right to life of an abortion survivor.

According to The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 143 abortion survivors died between 2003 and 2014 in the United States, though it is thought that the real number is much higher.

The CDC also reported that of those 143 infants, nearly 50% were alive for at least four hours, while six lived for more than a day.

SPUC comment

A SPUC spokesperson said: “The shocking neglect of babies left to die after a failed abortion is of a piece with the callousness of abortion itself, which, of course, has no regard for the life of the child.

“A nation that cannot be bothered to provide a child that has already been born with the most basic medical attention will care even less for an unborn child, even though its right to life is just as sacrosanct.

“Although such a bill might seem insignificant, it is nevertheless a small step for decency and justice – and may well save dozens of lives in Alabama.”

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