Many in the media continue to claim that “allowing the death of a baby after it’s born” — as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has mentioned several times — is not legal. And yet, it appears that in Minnesota, it is legal under certain circumstances, thanks to a change in the law in 2023 which altered abortion reporting and expanded abortion without restrictions. Halting the reporting of such survivors contributes to the idea that they are a “myth.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was recently selected by Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris as her running mate in the upcoming election. Many news outlets have discussed the governor’s actions regarding abortion during his years in office. Walz became Minnesota’s governor in 2019, following the two-term Democratic Governor Mark Dayton, who served from 2011-2018.
In 2015, the state legislature first enacted the “Born Alive Infants Protection Act,” requiring the reporting of abortion survivors in the state, and just seven years later, the legislature repealed it. As MN Citizens Concerned for Life previously reported, “In recent years, five born-alive infants were reported in 2015, five in 2016, three in 2017, three in 2018, three in 2019, and five in 2021, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.” (Zero survivors were reported in 2022.)
However, “This information will no longer be available,” because of a new version of the state’s abortion reporting law that went into effect on August 1, 2023. According to MCCL:
The weakened version of Minnesota’s abortion reporting law… repeals the requirement that practitioners report “whether the abortion resulted in a born alive infant,” “any medical actions taken to preserve the life of the born alive infant,” “whether the born alive infant survived,” and “the status of the born alive infant, should the infant survive, if known.
According to the group, “Lawmakers… also repealed Minnesota’s requirement that reasonable measures be taken to ‘preserve the life and health’ of born-alive infants, replacing it with a requirement for ‘care,’ which the bill’s House author, Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL-Rochester), has described as mere ‘comfort’ care. Under the new language, an infant could be denied lifesaving care and allowed to die.”
Regarding the eight babies born alive since 2019, Dr. Michael New states at National Review, “On five occasions, no measures were taken to preserve life. On three occasions, only comfort care was provided. Tragically, all of these babies died. Instead of strengthening protections for these children, SF 2995 repealed the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, which was intended to provide legal protection for infants who survived abortions.”
As previously noted by Live Action News, the federal Born-Alive Infants Protection Act is not effective at preventing infants from being left to die after failed abortions because that law has no penalties or enforcement. Pro-abortion lawmakers have repeatedly rejected attempts to institute penalties for abortionists.
“… According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 2003 and 2014, at least 143 babies died after initially surviving abortions… Minnesota reported a total of 24 babies who initially survived their abortions from 2015-2021. Arizona saw reports of 37 survivors from 2017 through 2019. Florida reported 27 survivors from 2015-2020.”
There is one very easy yet dishonest way to continue to claim abortion is safe and that abortion survivors are a “myth“: stop reporting abortion injuries and abortion survivors. It certainly won’t keep women or children safe, but it boosts the bottom line of the abortion industry.
Editor’s Note, 8/11/24: This article has been updated with information from National Review.
