Across the country, a troubling trend is emerging. In the wake of Dobbs and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the abortion debate obviously didn’t end – it intensified and shifted to the state level. Now, radical-left state legislatures are emboldened, believing they have a license to advance bills that, under the guise of “reproductive freedom,” are quietly dismantling protections for babies – even after birth.

The ACLJ is actively engaged in exposing and opposing these efforts. Take action with us and sign the petition: End Infanticide – Protect Babies Born Alive.

Here’s a breakdown of four alarming laws that are paving the path to infanticide. 

Maryland’s Effort to Shield Infanticide From Investigation

Maryland’s H.B. 1131 represents one of the most dangerous developments yet. As we said in our testimony before the Maryland State legislature, this bill would “effectively legalize infanticide.”

This bill would restrict medical professionals from reporting infant deaths unless there is “clear evidence of external abuse” or “independent evidence” of criminal conduct unrelated to the “pregnancy loss.” 

The bill penalizes medical professionals who report suspected wrongdoing, effectively discouraging the reporting of possible criminal conduct and shielding those responsible from scrutiny. And if a healthcare provider isn’t certain the evidence meets the bill’s vague standard, what happens then? The safest option becomes silence.

The bill also ties law enforcement’s hands, prohibiting investigations into a “pregnancy loss” unless there is already “independent evidence of criminal conduct unrelated to the pregnancy or the pregnancy loss.” But isn’t the purpose of investigations to discover that evidence?

As a result, any deaths related to “pregnancy loss,” including deaths during labor – a period that can extend even after a child is born – would be shielded from investigation. 

This creates a window in which a baby born alive could die, or be intentionally killed, without triggering mandatory reporting or investigation.

California: Legal Ambiguity That Risks Shielding Infant Deaths From Proper Investigation

California’s Assembly Bill 2223, which was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, follows a similar pattern but operates........

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