Statement of Administration Policy: S. 311 - Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act

(Senate)
(Sen. Sasse, R-NE, and 49 cosponsors)

The Administration strongly supports S. 311, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, and applauds the Senate for its efforts to prevent infanticide.

Current law fails to provide adequate protections, including adequate requirements for the provision of medical care, for vulnerable newborns who survive an abortion attempt. If enacted, S. 311 would require any healthcare practitioner who is present at the time that such a child is born to exercise care to preserve the child's life and health, and to ensure the child is immediately transported and admitted to a hospital. The bill would also require a healthcare practitioner, or hospital employee, to immediately report a violation of these requirements. S. 311 would establish a civil right of action for, and prevent criminal prosecution and penalties from being brought against, the mothers of such children.

The bill draws a sorely needed bright line of protection around abortion survivors by requiring that they be given the same level of care as any other premature infant. A baby that survives an abortion and is born alive into this world should be treated just like any other baby born alive. S. 311 would properly amend current law to ensure that the life of one baby is not treated as being more or less valuable than another.

If S. 311 were presented to the President in its current form, his advisors would recommend he sign it into law.