SB1600

THE CONTEXT: Laws 1975, Ch. 141, 30 added the initial version of A.

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would entitles an infant who is born alive to treatment as a legal person under Arizona law with the same rights to medically appropriate and reasonable care and treatment, including a requirement that birth and death certificates be issued for the infant as appropriate, replaces current language imposing a duty on any physician performing an abortion and any additional physician in attendance to see that all available means and medical skills are used to promote, preserve and maintain the life of such a fetus or embryo with new language requiring any health professional who is present at the time that an infant is born alive to do the following: a) take all medically appropriate and reasonable actions to preserve the life and health of the infant who is born alive; and b) not deprive any infant who is born alive, regardless of the likelihood of survival, of medically appropriate and reasonable medical care or treatment, and require any health professional, hospital, abortion clinic or employee or volunteer of a hospital or abortion clinic to immediately report any known failures to comply with the above requirements to law enforcement.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to make the government process for infants more definite and accountable. It would entitles an infant who is born alive to treatment as a legal person under Arizona law with the same rights to medically appropriate and reasonable care and treatment, including a requirement that birth and death certificates be issued for the infant as appropriate, and would also replaces current language imposing a duty on any physician performing an abortion and any additional physician in attendance to see that all available means and medical skills are used to promote, preserve and maintain the life of such a fetus or embryo with new language requiring any health professional who is present at the time that an infant is born alive to do the following: a) take all medically appropriate and reasonable actions to preserve the life and health of the infant who is born alive; and b) not deprive any infant who is born alive, regardless of the likelihood of survival, of medically appropriate and reasonable medical care or treatment, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.