Wyoming Governor Signs Born Alive Act

Republican Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon has signed the Born Alive Act into law, legislation that requires doctors to care for babies born alive in botched abortions.

Senate File 34, which passed the Wyoming House 48-11, requires doctors to use “commonly accepted means of care” for “the treatment of any infant born alive.”

“Any physician performing an abortion shall take medically appropriate and reasonable steps to preserve the life and health of an infant born alive,” the legislation said. It will go into effect in July.

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Gordon vetoed a similar bill last year, saying that it could “harm people it never intended to harm,” such as parents who receive “the devastating news that their pregnancy is not viable.” He also said the state already had legislation protecting “children from being denied lifesaving care simply because they were born as a result of an abortion.”

Gordon’s communications director Michael Pearlman told the Daily Caller News Foundation Wednesday that “last year’s Born Alive bill was different from the one brought this year.”

“In the Governor’s opinion, this bill met with the Governor’s pro-life and pro-family convictions,” Pearlman said.

The legislation formerly said that “the commonly accepted means of care that would be rendered to any other infant born alive shall be employed in the treatment of any viable infant aborted alive with any chance of survival.”

The new legislation amends the bill to remove the clause “with any chance of survival.”

The bill was sponsored by Republican Wyoming Sen. Cheri Steinmetz and Republican Wyoming Rep. Jamie Flitner.

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Family Policy Alliance’s Nathan Winters said in a Wednesday statement that “Wyoming has taken the important step of protecting these vulnerable citizens taking their first breath of Wyoming air.”

“This legislation will stand as a silent but strong guardian over any infant surviving an abortion by requiring medical that professionals carry out their ethical and medical duty to provide appropriate medical care or genuine comfort care for a newborn,” Winters said. “While physicians can determine what ‘appropriate and reasonable steps’ should be taken, this new law ensures that the next step can’t be to do nothing.”