Illinois House Cmte OKs Bill Caring for Newborns Who Survive Abortions 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 10, 2005
Springfield, IL (LifeNews.com) — Newborn infants who survive failed abortion attempts must receive appropriate medical care and cannot be neglected under a bill approved by an Illinois State House Committee on Wednesday.
The Born Alive Infants Protection Act, HB 984, received a unanimous vote from the House Civil Law Committee. Members made a change to the bill that took out a measure spelling out the kind of care that newborns should be provided.
That change may prompt additional support for the bill, which passed through the state Senate in 2001 and 2002 but failed in the House.
State Representative Brandon Phelps, a Democrat from Harrisburg, introduced the bill in February.
House Speaker Michael Madigan, also a Democrat, has promised that the bill will receive an up or down vote on the House floor. He was an obstacle to getting bills out of committee in previous legislative sessions.
Some 30 lawmakers have already signed on to the bill, which specifically defines the moment at which an unborn child has been born, in order to provide protection for her when an abortion goes awry.
Nurse Jill Stanek, who gained fame after exposing "live birth abortions" at a Chicago hospital, says unborn children have been born at 23 weeks after pregnancy who could have survived had they not been left to die by hospital staff.
Congress approved a similar bill and President Bush signed it into law in August 2002. However, concern came up last year that some hospital staff are not following the law.
Related wbe sites:
Illinois state legislature – https://www.ilga.gov
