Democrats are primarily defined by a single issue that was clearly demonstrated this past week again by Arizona’s governor, Katie Hobbs, who announced that she plans to veto a bill that would provide protection to newborns who survive abortions from infanticide.
According to the Tucson Sun, the chief of communications for Hobbs announced that her boss intends to veto the bill that would provide legal protection to newborns who survive abortions from infanticide. The measure was passed in the state House with a vote of 32-26, supported by Republicans and one Democrat, state Rep. Lydia Hernandez of Phoenix. The state Senate already passed the bill in February.
“It overrides patient and clinician decision-making in complex and highly personal circumstances,” Hobbs spokesperson Murphy Hebert told Capitol Media Services.
Arizona’s Senate Bill 1600 mandates that healthcare professionals administer life-saving medical assistance to any newborn, even those resulting from an abortion. Failure to comply could result in legal consequences.
Over the past two years, 18 infants were documented as born alive during abortions in Arizona, as per the state Department of Health Services’ 2020 and 2021 reports. During the same period, almost 400 fetuses were terminated beyond 21 weeks of gestation. Presently, advancements in medical technology allow premature babies born at 21 weeks to survive, Lifesite News reported.
Contrary to the evidence, the majority of Democratic legislators criticized the bill, asserting that it would intrude upon families’ private medical choices and compel physicians to deliver futile care to terminally ill infants, as stated in the report.
Pro-life advocates and lawmakers contested these claims, highlighting the bill’s provisions that permit a parent or guardian to decline medical intervention for their newborn if the potential hazards surpass the potential advantages for the child or if the treatment won’t do anything more “than temporarily prolong the act of dying when death is imminent.”
In response to the announcement, Cathi Herrod, the president of the pro-life Center for Arizona Policy, expressed her disapproval on Twitter, calling the governor’s decision to veto the bill “cruel” and “heartless.”
“[The] bill requires medically appropriate and reasonable care and treatment be given to any baby born alive. If death is imminent, parents can refuse the care,” she wrote. “Horrific to leave a baby to die without reasonable care. Heartless. Cruel. Evil.”
Not accurate. Bill requires medically appropriate and reasonable care and treatment be given to any baby born alive. If death is imminent, parents can refuse the care. Horrific to leave a baby to die w/o reasonable care. Heartless. Cruel. Evil. https://t.co/4kY6kXvryZ
— Cathi Herrod (@cathiherrod) March 31, 2023
