SACRAMENTO, California (LifeSiteNews) – A California abortion bill still raises infanticide concerns after being amended, according to two legal analysts who warned about the consequences of the legislation.
The California Assembly Judiciary Committee passed an amended bill on April 6 that says no woman can be punished “based on their actions or omissions with respect to their pregnancy or actual, potential, or alleged pregnancy outcome, including miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion, or perinatal death due to a pregnancy-related cause.”
A previous version ended at “perinatal death,” which could be interpreted to protect infanticide, since perinatal could mean any time between one week to two full years of age.
“In my view, this revision lessens, but does not eliminate, the concerns regarding infanticide,” Thomas More Society Special Counsel Charles LiMandri, a partner at LiMandri and Jonna LLP, told LifeSiteNews on Tuesday. “This is because the broad phrase ‘perinatal death’ is still in the Bill, and the new modifying phrase ‘due to a pregnancy-related cause,’ is sufficiently ambiguous.”
“This leaves it open to interpretation and exploitation by abortionists or others intent on ending a newborn infant’s life,” LiMandri said.
“The new modifying phrase may lessen the length of time during which the infanticide may occur, but it still leaves the newborn infant vulnerable to being killed by the abortionist or their partners in crime,” the attorney told LifeSiteNews. “Since we already know that some abortion workers have either surreptitiously killed newborn infants, or left them to die without proper care, this Bill still stands to give more such criminals legal cover in the future.”
He said the legislation “should still be vigorously opposed.”
Fellow attorney Susan Arnall with California-based Right to Life League shared similar sentiments with LifeSiteNews on Tuesday.
She said the latest amendment does “absolutely nothing to address the justifiable concerns relating to infanticide.”
“The added phrase ‘due to a pregnancy-related cause’ is meaningless. It is vague and over-broad and does not change what constitutes a ‘perinatal death,’” Arnall said.
She shared with LifeSiteNews a longer analysis of the legislation from Right to Life League:
As currently drafted, AB 2223 still decriminalizes infanticide — the killing of a baby born alive — whether as a result of a failed abortion (which is already exempted from prosecution by CA Penal Code Section 187) or for some other reason like neglect or harm by the mother or a third party during the perinatal period. New definitions of the term “perinatal” could extend this period far past the first months of life.
While the bill’s April 6th amendments attempt to address problems concerning immunity for government investigations, the bill will likely chill investigation of infant deaths since it empowers mothers and ANYONE connected with the death of a newborn to bring a private cause of action for damages ($25,000 penalty), including the threat of attorney fees upon motion to a judge, against people who inquire into a newborn’s death.
“What impact will this bill have on private health care providers, doctors or nurses who report a perinatal death to authorities?” the pro-life group asked.