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Committee adopts substitute for 'born alive' measure after debate on scope and legal wording
Summary
The House Committee on Health and Mental Health adopted a committee substitute for House Bill 195 after members raised concerns the measure duplicates existing statutes and could expose health-care workers to investigations.
The House Committee on Health and Mental Health adopted a committee substitute for House Bill 195 after members raised legal and maternal-health concerns and debated the bill's scope.
Representative Brian Seitz, sponsor of the proposal, told the committee the substitute contains a single-word change to clarify culpability language and that the measure is intended to ensure care for infants who are alive after an abortive attempt. "This is a born alive protection act whose focus is the infant," Seitz said. He described an editorial change on page 2, line 30 (a change from "intentionally" to a different standard) and later referenced the word change to "knowingly" when explaining how prosecutors might interpret the statute.
Several members challenged the bill's premise and potential consequences. Representative Bush said the proposal…
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