Alabama House approves bill on physician care after abortions

The Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill that would criminalize physicians who do not provide adequate care for children born during the course of an abortion. 

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Gadsden, passed on a 76 to 12 vote amid questions from critics about the necessity of the legislation. 

"What the bill says is if a child is born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion in an abortion or reproductive health center, the physician who performed the abortion or attempted the abortion ... shall exercise the same degree of professional skill, care and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child," she said.

Similar bills have been filed in other states and on the federal level. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has opposed federal versions of the legislation, saying it could criminalize situations when labor is induced due to fetal abnormalities. 

Existing law makes it a crime to kill a baby, as Rep. Neil Rafferty, D-Birmingham, noted in the debate.

"My understanding is multiple federal and state laws exist to protect children from the moment they exit the womb, and there's absolutely no loopholes that would allow infanticide without severe criminal penalty," he said.

Shaver, who worked at a crisis pregnancy center, said she had been told that a situation of a physician not providing care to a infant born during an abortion had taken place. But pressed for details by Democrats, Shaver said she was bound by privacy considerations on the subject. 

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brian Lyman at 334-240-0185 or blyman@gannett.com.