{"id":240226,"date":"2021-02-25T14:43:17","date_gmt":"2021-02-25T20:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=240226"},"modified":"2021-02-25T14:59:41","modified_gmt":"2021-02-25T20:59:41","slug":"abortion-survivors-protection-act-passes-south-dakota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-survivors-protection-act-passes-south-dakota\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill to protect abortion survivors becomes law in South Dakota"},"content":{"rendered":"
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UPDATE, 2\/25\/21<\/strong>: Governor Kristi Noem signed House Bill 1051 into law on Wednesday, February 24, 2021, stating, “The pro-life cause continues even after a child is born, and this bill will guarantee the right to life for every baby that is born alive.” The Christian Post reports<\/a> that the South Dakota chapter of the ACLU objected to requiring protection for infants born alive because it would\u00a0put \u201cpoliticians between a person and their doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

A press release<\/a> from the Susan B. Anthony List stated in response, “Under Governor Noem, South Dakota is a national leader in protecting innocent children \u2013 born and unborn. The overwhelming majority of Americans agree: babies who survive abortions deserve the same compassion and care as any other infant, regardless of the circumstances of their birth.”<\/p>\n

2\/18\/21<\/strong>: A South Dakota bill aimed at protecting the lives of infants who survive abortions has passed the Senate and House and now awaits the signature of Governor Kristi Noem.<\/p>\n

House Bill 1051<\/a>, “An Act to maintain the life of any child born alive,” would require that an abortion practitioner provide abortion survivors the “same available means and medical skills that a physician would render to any child born alive…” The child who survives an abortion<\/a> must be given care and immediately admitted to the hospital. A doctor who fails to follow the law would face a $10,000 fine and the loss of his or her medical license.<\/p>\n

The bill lists born alive as meaning that the baby breathes, has a beating heart, has pulsation of the umbilical cord, or<\/em><\/strong> shows definite movement of his voluntary muscles.<\/p>\n

On January 28, the South Dakota House approved the bill in a 59 to 8 vote. It passed the Senate by a vote of 32 to 3 on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

“Once that baby is out on the table, they’ve gained the right to life,” said<\/a> Sen. Al Novstrup (R). More accurately, from the moment a human being begins to exist \u2014 at fertilization<\/a> \u2014 he or she has the right to life<\/a>, and that right should not be stripped away.<\/p>\n