Born-Alive Infant Protection Act

Every child who draws breath outside the womb is a living human being entitled to the full protection of the law. This bill affirms that truth by requiring medical personnel to provide the same standard of care to an infant born alive after an attempted abortion as they would to any other newborn. The law makes no distinction based on the circumstances of birth, which is precisely the right approach: the child's worth does not depend on whether her birth was intended.

Faith communities have long held that human dignity is not conferred by law but recognized by it. Scripture is consistent in its witness that God forms each person and knows them before birth. A child who survives an abortion procedure and is breathing, moving, and alive is not a medical byproduct. She is a person, and the state has a compelling interest in ensuring that her life is not ended through deliberate neglect.

The bill's enforcement mechanisms are what separate it from symbolic legislation. Criminal penalties, the prospect of losing a professional license, and exposure to civil damages give this law teeth. Medical professionals operate within a framework of accountability in every other context; there is no principled reason to carve out an exception when the patient is an infant born after a failed abortion. Accountability is not punitive in spirit; it is the natural consequence of a profession that holds human life in its hands.

Critics may argue that such situations are rare or that existing medical ethics are sufficient. Neither claim withstands scrutiny. Documented cases confirm that infants have been born alive after abortion procedures and left without care. Professional codes without legal backing are unenforceable, and unenforceable standards protect no one. This bill closes that gap by converting a moral obligation into a legal one.

The American Council supports this bill as a straightforward expression of the conviction that every human life deserves protection. Rhode Island has an opportunity to send a clear message that its laws will not permit any child, regardless of the circumstances of her birth, to be denied the care that might save her life. We urge legislators to advance this bill without delay.