Democrats in Maryland have proposed a new law that would allow babies to be killed within the first 28 days after birth, according to a legal analysis.
Senate Bill 669, also known as the Pregnant Person’s Freedom Act of 2022, is sponsored by Democrat Senator William Smith.
However, according to a ACLJ attorney Olivia Summers who has studied the text of the bill, the problems go beyond the use of “person” in place of accurate references to women having babies.
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“[T]he bill also proposes a revision of the fetal murder/manslaughter statute that would serve to handcuff the investigation of infant deaths unrelated to abortion,” Summers said in her analysis.
The bill prohibits investigations and criminal prosecutions for women and doctors for a “failure to act” in relation to a “perinatal death.”
“In other words, a baby born alive and well could be abandoned and left to starve or freeze to death,” Summers warned in her analysis.
“Nothing could be done to punish those who participated in that cruel death.”
According to Summers, the language used in the bill is unclear, so the law could be interpreted to “prevent investigations into the death of infants at least seven days AFTER their birth, and may extend to infants as old as four weeks!”
The Maryland Code does not define “perinatal,” Summers said in an interview with LifeSite News.
A 2020 law does define “perinatal care” as the “provision of care during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum and neonatal periods.”
A definition on MedicineNet, defines perinatal as “the 20th to 28th week of gestation” to “1 to 4 weeks after birth.”
Summers noted in her analysis that the state already has a safe haven law that allows parents to leave a newborn baby with a responsible adult without fear of prosecution.
“Under the Safe Haven law, a distressed parent who is unable or unwilling to care for their infant can safely give up custody of their baby, no questions asked,” the Maryland Department of Human Services states.
“Newborns can be left at hospitals or law enforcement stations.”
“There is absolutely no reason for Maryland Senate Bill 669’s attempt to prevent someone who lets their baby die from being investigated,” Summers warned.
“This bill just further exposes the complete lack of regard abortion advocates have for innocent human life.”
“If they truly want to protect life and women, then legislators could simply extend the length of the safe harbor provision already in place.”
