Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
Official title: To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit a health care practitioner from failing to exercise the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion.
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| Date | Chamber | What was voted on | Result | Yes–No | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 23, 2025 | House · vote #27 | On Passage | Passed | 217–204 | See who voted → |
| Jan 23, 2025 | House · vote #26 | On Motion to Recommit | Failed | 205–216 | See who voted → |
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Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
This bill establishes requirements for the degree of care a health care practitioner must provide in the case of a child born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion.
Specifically, a health care practitioner who is present must (1) exercise the same degree of care as would reasonably be provided to any other child born alive at the same gestational age, and (2) ensure the child is immediately admitted to a hospital. Additionally, a health care practitioner or other employee who has knowledge of a failure to comply with the degree-of-care requirements must immediately report such failure to law enforcement.
A health care practitioner who fails to provide the required degree of care, or a health care practitioner or other employee who fails to report such failure, is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both.
An individual who intentionally kills or attempts to kill a child born alive is subject to prosecution for murder.
The bill bars the criminal prosecution of a mother of a child born alive under this bill and allows her to bring a civil action against a health care practitioner or other employee for violations.
- Engrossed in House Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
- Introduced in House Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
- Referred in Senate Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
- POWER TO DECIDE
- POWER TO DECIDE
- AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS
- POWER TO DECIDE
- AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS
- SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION CTW-CLC
Bodies those filers lobbied
- HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
- SENATE
- Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS)
- Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
- White House Office
- Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
- Justice, Dept of (DOJ)
- Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA)
Cite this page
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 21: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-21/
"H.R. 21: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-21/.
H.R. 21, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-21/.
[H.R. 21: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-21/)