The Alabama House Judiciary Committee gave a favorable report that would require that a doctor give the same level of care to an infant that survived an abortion that they would to an infant following birth. “The born alive” bill, House Bill 237, is sponsored by State Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg.
Shaver told the committee that they passed the bill out of committee last year, but that the session got interrupted by the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Shaver explained that HB237 would require that those children who survive an attempted abortion receive the “same degree of professional care” as another child of the same age of development would receive and that bill establishes “criminal penalty for failure to do so.”
“We did pass it through the House in 2019 and through the committee last year then there was COVID,” Shaver explained.
There were two amendments added to the bill by the committee. The second amendment set the criminal penalty as “punishable by not less than 20 years in state prison and a fine of not less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000).”
HB237 received a favorable report from the Judiciary Committee and is now in a position where it can be considered by the full House of Representatives.
The House Judiciary Committee is chaired by Rep. Jim Hill, R-Odenville.
HB237 is co-sponsored by Reps. Allen, Stadthagen, Kiel, Estes, Oliver, Kitchens, Marques, Robertson, Meadows, Brown (C), Moore (P), Simpson, Sorrells, Baker, Wilcox, Sorrell and Ledbetter.
The born-alive bill is opposed by abortion providers.
Alabama voters have voted in favor of a constitutional amendment that would outlaw abortion if and when the controversial Roe vs. Wade decision is overturned.
Thursday will be day nine of the 2021 Alabama Legislative Session.
