Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To President
- Became Law
Overview
This bill requires healthcare providers to give proper medical care to infants who survive abortion attempts, with criminal penalties for practitioners who fail to do so.
Why it matters: This legislation directly protects the lives of born children and affirms the legal personhood and rights of abortion survivors, aligning with Christian convictions about the sanctity of life from conception onward.
Topic: Sanctity of life · classifier confidence 98%
What this changes
Amends existing law
Law today: Current federal law in title 18, United States Code, does not explicitly require health care practitioners to exercise a specific degree of care toward infants who survive abortion or attempted abortion.
If passed: This bill would amend federal law to require health care practitioners to provide proper medical care to infants born alive during or after an abortion procedure. A Christian family valuing the sanctity of life would see this as legally recognizing that a born-alive infant deserves the same standard of medical care as any other newborn, with potential penalties for practitioners who fail to provide such care.
AI-generated from the bill text — verify against the official text.
Likely supporters & opponents
Likely support
- Pro-life advocacy organizations — Born-alive infants are human beings entitled to equal protection and medical care under law.
- Religious-liberty and conscience-protection groups — Health care workers should not be forced to participate in procedures that conflict with their belief in the sanctity of life.
Likely opposition
- Abortion-rights advocacy organizations — The bill may impose criminal liability on medical professionals in complex end-of-life situations and interfere with abortion access.
- Medical associations and providers — The bill could create legal liability and confusion about when and how aggressive intervention is medically appropriate for extremely premature or non-viable infants.
AI-inferred typical positions based on the bill’s substance — general stakeholder categories, not confirmed endorsements.
Should I support this?
Likely helpful for Christian families
This bill directly protects the life of infants born alive and affirms that born-alive children are entitled to medical care, aligning with Christian convictions about the sanctity of life from conception. It also protects health care workers' conscience rights by preventing them from being compelled to withhold care from living infants.
An AI assessment from a Christian-family perspective — religious freedom, parental rights, and freedom in education — not legal or voting advice.
Official summary
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit a health care practitioner from failing to exercise the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion.
Sponsors
- Ann Wagner (R)
- Steve Scalise (R)
- Kat Cammack (R)
- Andrew Clyde (R)
- David Kustoff (R)
- Glenn Thompson (R)
- Ron Estes (R)
- Erin Houchin (R)
- Brad Finstad (R)
- Dale Strong (R)
- Randy Feenstra (R)
- Pete Stauber (R)
- Mike Bost (R)
- Russ Fulcher (R)
- Mike Ezell (R)
- Dan Crenshaw (R)
- Scott Fitzgerald (R)
- Robert Aderholt (R)
- Clay Higgins (R)
- Diana Harshbarger (R)
- Andrew Ogles (R)
- Jack Bergman (R)
- Sam Graves (R)
- John Moolenaar (R)
- Mary Miller (R)
- Tim Walberg (R)
- Randy Weber (R)
- Troy Balderson (R)
- Eric Burlison (R)
- Blake Moore (R)
- Nathaniel Moran (R)
- Andy Biggs (R)
- Jake Ellzey (R)
- Elizabeth Van Duyne (R)
- Michael Guest (R)
- Doug LaMalfa (R)
- Richard Hudson (R)
- Earl Carter (R)
- Daniel Webster (R)
- Mark Green (R)
- Neal Dunn (R)
- Nicholas Langworthy (R)
- French Hill (R)
- Pete Sessions (R)
- Michael Simpson (R)
- Steve Womack (R)
- Gus Bilirakis (R)
- Darrell Issa (R)
- Vince Fong (R)
- Glenn Grothman (R)
- Kevin Hern (R)
- Adrian Smith (R)
- Trent Kelly (R)
- Tim Burchett (R)
- Mark Amodei (R)
- John Joyce (R)
- Claudia Tenney (R)
- Andy Harris (R)
- Richard McCormick (R)
- Frank Lucas (R)
- Josh Brecheen (R)
- Rick Allen (R)
- David Rouzer (R)
- John Rutherford (R)
- Rudolph Yakym III (R)
- Stephanie Bice (R)
- Ernest Gonzales (R)
- Brett Guthrie (R)
- Darin LaHood (R)
- Laurel Lee (R)
- Robert Wittman (R)
- Troy Downing (R)
- Austin Scott (R)
- Christopher Smith (R)
- Joe Wilson (R)
- Virginia Foxx (R)
- David Taylor (R)
- Tracey Mann (R)
- Robert Onder (R)
- Don Bacon (R)
- Maria Salazar (R)
- John Rose (R)
- John Carter (R)
- Robert Latta (R)
- Carol Miller (R)
- Ken Calvert (R)
- Charles Fleischmann (R)
- Harriet Hageman (R)
- Burgess Owens (R)
- Brian Babin (R)
- Morgan Luttrell (R)
- Tom Emmer (R)
- Barry Moore (R)
- Lloyd Smucker (R)
- Aaron Bean (R)
- Garland Barr (R)
- Mario Diaz-Balart (R)
- Addison McDowell (R)
- Dan Meuser (R)
- August Pfluger (R)
- Riley Moore (R)
- Anna Luna (R)
- Tom McClintock (R)
- Guy Reschenthaler (R)
- Mike D. Rogers (R)
- Jeff Van Drew (R)
- Nancy Mace (R)
- Ronny Jackson (R)
- Lisa McClain (R)
- Patrick Fallon (R)
- Mike Collins (R)
- Michelle Fischbach (R)
- Lance Gooden (R)
- Greg Steube (R)
- Tom Cole (R)
- Keith Self (R)
- Greg Murphy (R)
- Tom Tiffany (R)
- John McGuire (R)
- Dusty Johnson (R)
- Warren Davidson (R)
- Barry Loudermilk (R)
- Ben Cline (R)
- Jeff Crank (R)
- Andrew Garbarino (R)
- Julia Letlow (R)
- Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R)
- William Timmons (R)
- Dan Newhouse (R)
- Bill Huizenga (R)
- Ashley Hinson (R)
- Brad Knott (R)
- Nicole Malliotakis (R)
- Jason Smith (R)
- Tim Moore (R)
- Nicholas Begich (R)
- Marjorie Greene (R)
- Jodey Arrington (R)
- Sheri Biggs (R)
- Scott Franklin (R)
- Russell Fry (R)
- Craig Goldman (R)
- Roger Williams (R)
- Troy Nehls (R)
- Eric Crawford (R)
- Mike Kelly (R)
- Michael Turner (R)
- Brandon Gill (R)
- Gary Palmer (R)
- Mike Carey (R)
- Cory Mills (R)
- Julie Fedorchak (R)
- Celeste Maloy (R)
- Tony Wied (R)
- Juan Ciscomani (R)
- Mike Haridopolos (R)
- Mark Messmer (R)
- James Comer (R)
- David Joyce (R)
- Mike Flood (R)
- Cliff Bentz (R)
- Bruce Westerman (R)
- Carlos Gimenez (R)
- Chip Roy (R)
Status timeline
- 2025-01-24Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.S
- 2025-01-23Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.H
- 2025-01-23On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 217 - 204, 1 Present (Roll no. 27). (text: CR H335-336)H
- 2025-01-23On motion to recommit Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 205 - 216 (Roll no. 26).H
- 2025-01-23Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H347-348)H
- 2025-01-23POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on H.R. 21, the Chair put the question on the motion to recommit and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Ms. Chu demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings until a time to be announced.H
- 2025-01-23The previous question on the motion to recommit was ordered pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XIX.H
- 2025-01-23Ms. Chu moved to recommit to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR H344-345)H
- 2025-01-23The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.H
- 2025-01-23DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 21.H
- 2025-01-23Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 5. (consideration: CR H335-345)H
- 2025-01-03Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.H
- 2025-01-03Introduced in HouseH
H = House · S = Senate · A = Assembly