California Pro-Life Groups Organizing Massive Protest Against Democrat Bill to Legalize Infanticide

State   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Apr 18, 2022   |   4:57PM   |   Sacramento, California

California pro-life organizations plan to protest Tuesday against a radical pro-abortion bill that would decriminalize infanticide as well as abortions up to birth.

California Assembly Bill 2223, sponsored by Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, already has prompted massive outrage. While the legislation is meant to end criminal penalties for abortion, it could stop people from being punished for killing newborns as well.

“For years, pro-life advocates have argued there is no moral difference between ending a child’s life days before birth or days after birth. California’s pro-abortion legislators now seemingly agree,” said Jonathan Keller, president of California Family Council. “A political culture that justifies killing millions of children in the womb is now declaring open season on unwanted newborns. Every Californian must oppose this heinous bill.”

On Tuesday, the California Family Council, Capitol Resource Institute and other pro-life organizations plan to protest against the bill at the Capitol. The state Assembly Health Committee is scheduled to consider the bill at 4 p.m.

The pro-abortion legislation would prohibit authorities from charging a mother for “actions or omissions” related to her pregnancy, “including miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion, or perinatal death.” Anyone who “aids or assists a pregnant person” also would be exempt from prosecution. Additionally, the bill would allow the woman to sue police and other authorities who arrest or charge her in such cases.

However, pro-life advocates warned that the “perinatal death” language in the bill also would exclude mothers who kill their newborn babies from prosecution. The definitions of “perinatal” vary, but they all include newborn babies within the first week and potentially up to the first month of life outside the womb.

In an email, the Capitol Resource Institute encouraged pro-life Californians to contact the committee members and urge them to vote against the bill.

“This is quite literally a matter of life and death,” the pro-life organization wrote. “This egregious bill would legalize the murder of newborn babies, so it is imperative that we use this opportunity to unite with one voice and to demand that this bill be rejected.”

ACTION ALERT: Contact the California Assembly Health Committee.

The bill already passed one state Assembly committee earlier this month. No one spoke in favor of AB 2223 during the meeting, but more than a hundred individuals opposed it in person or by phone.

A state legislative analysis confirmed pro-life advocates’ concerns about the bill earlier this month, saying it could be interpreted to allow infanticide, according to the Sacramento Bee.

“As currently in print, it may not be sufficiently clear that ‘perinatal death’ is intended to be the consequence of a pregnancy complication,” the Assembly Judiciary Committee bill analysis states. “Thus, the bill could be interpreted to immunize a pregnant person from all criminal penalties for all pregnancy outcomes, including the death of a newborn for any reason during the ‘perinatal’ period after birth, including a cause of death which is not attributable to pregnancy complications, which clearly is not the author’s intent.”

Earlier this month, Wicks, the lead sponsor, lashed out pro-life advocates for exposing the problems in her bill, calling their alarm “absurd and disingenuous.”

“Anti-abortion activists are peddling an absurd and disingenuous argument that this bill is about killing newborns, when ironically, the part of the bill they’re pointing to is about protecting and supporting parents experiencing the grief of pregnancy loss,” she said in a statement.

But as currently written, attorney Susan Arnall, of the California-based Right to Life League, said the bill would allow abortionists like the infamous Kermit Gosnell to murder newborns without consequences.

“In California under AB 2223, former Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell, who murdered three infants born alive after botched abortions, could not be prosecuted,” Arnall said. “And incredibly, someone like Gosnell who helped a California mother kill her newborn after birth will actually have a cause of action to sue police for investigating the matter if AB 2223 becomes law.”

Democrats control the California Legislature by a strong majority, and AB 2223 is one of eight bills that the Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California identified as a legislative priority this year.

The California Future of Abortion Council, a coalition that Gov. Gavin Newsom established last year, also supports the bill.

ACTION ALERT: Contact the California Assembly Health Committee.