South Carolina Senate Panel Backs Born Alive Bill for Babies Who Survive Abortion
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 6, 2009
Columbia, SC (LifeNews.com) — A South Carolina state Senate subcommittee on Wednesday approved a bill known as the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act to protect babies who survive abortions. The legislation declares that any child who is born alive, including those who survive abortion, have the same constitutional rights as any other person.
The bill also prevents throwing an unborn child away as so-called medical waste.
Rep. Greg Delleney, a Republican, is the chief sponsor of the bill, H3342, which won approval from the House already.
The state House passed the bill, which mirrors the federal bill former President Bush signed into law in 2002 and that President Obama opposed in the Illinois legislature, on 105 to 5 vote.
Today, a Senate Judiciary subcommittee signed off on the bill but also made one change to it to say nothing in the legislation affected either state or federal abortion laws or generally accepted medical standards.
During the subcommittee hearing, South Carolina Citizens for Life executive director Holly Gatling said the bill is needed and cited a 2003 report showing a baby found at a laundry company wrapped in a blanket.
She told LifeNews.com her group "is pleased that the Senate Subcommittee passed the House version of the bill, although with amendments."
"We are examining the amendments to determine if they are consistent with the intent of the legislation and with the federal legislation signed by President Bush in 2002," she added.
Now the bill heads to the full Judiciary committee for a debate and vote.
Related web sites:
South Carolina Legislature – https://www.scstatehouse.net
South Carolina Citizens for Life – https://www.sclife.org
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