2002 House Bill 5994 ↩

Senate Roll Call 997: Passed

To establish that if an abortion results in the live birth of a newborn, the newborn is a person with full rights under the law. If the mother expresses a desire to not assume custody or responsibility, by refusing to authorize medical treatment or not releasing the newborn for adoption, the newborn would be considered to have been surrendered to an emergency service provider. A physician attending the birth in a hospital would be required to request medical care for the newborn, or call 911 if the birth occurred in an abortion clinic. Failure to do so would be a ten-year felony. The legislative package was introduced after a report by the Department of Community Health found 18 cases in 2000 in which aborted fetuses showed "evidence of life." The bill is part of a legislative package comprised of House Bills 5994 to 5998.