NY State Senate Bill 2025-S577

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2025	referred to health

co-Sponsors

2025-S577 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Health
Law Section:: Public Health Law
Laws Affected:: Add §2599-b-2, Pub Health L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S5332
2021-2022: S2569
2023-2024: S1696

2025-S577 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to establishing the born alive abortion survivors' protection to require any health care practitioner present at the time the child is born alive during an abortion or attempted abortion procedure to exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care practitioner would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age; and follow the exercise of skill, care, and diligence and ensure that the child born alive is immediately transported and admitted to a hospital.

2025-S577 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S577

SPONSOR: HELMING
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing the
born alive abortion survivors' protection act

 
PURPOSE:

This bill would amend the Public Health Law to establish the Born Alive
Abortion Survivors' Protection Act.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends the public health law to add a new section 2599-b-2 to
establish the born alive abortion survivors' protection act. This
section would require any health care practitioner present at the time a
child is born alive during an abortion or attempted abortion procedure
to exercise the same degree or care to preserve the life and health of
the child as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care practi-
tioner would render to any other child born alive at the same gestation-

al age, and ensure the child born alive is immediately transported and
admitted to the hospital. Additionally, establishes a reporting require-
ment on health care practitioners that have knowledge of a failure to
comply with these requirements, and establishes any violation of these
provisions as a class A misdemeanor. Any individual that intentionally
performs or attempts to perform an overact that kills a child born alive
shall be of guilty attempted murder or murder in the second degree.
These provisions explicitly state that the mother of the child born
alive may not be prosecuted for violation of this section, and allow the
mother to bring a civil action against any person in violation of these
provisions.

Section 2: Establishes the effective date.

 
EXISTING LAW:

Chapter 1 of the laws of 2019 enacted the Reproductive Health Act in New
York. Section 3 of the bill repealed Public Health Law § 4164 which
contained protections for an infant born alive as a result of an
abortion. Currently, under New York State law, there are no protections
for infants born alive as a result of an abortion procedure.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

On January 22, 2019, New York eradicated all legal protections in law
for infants born alive as the result of an abortion procedure. The
repeal of these provisions is not only morally reprehensible but also
jeopardizes the health and safety of infants throughout New York State,

Section 4130 of the public health law is clear, a "live birth" is
defined as "the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a
product of conception, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy,
which, after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of
life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or
definite movement of voluntary muscles each product of such a birth is
considered live born." Therefore, an infant born alive as the result of

an abortion procedure deserves the same legal protections as any other
infant born in this state.

This legislation re-establishes what should be an undebatable fact,
infants born alive are human beings deserving of public protection.  For
these reasons, the bill reinstates penal law protections where an indi-
vidual intentionally performs or attempts to perform an overt act that
kills a child born alive as the result of an abortion. New York State
has a long history of advocating and protecting those without a voice,
and this bill ensures the State's continued commitment to this goal.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-2034: S.1696 referred to Health/A.3601 referred to Health

2021-2022: S.2569 referred to Health/A.4429 held in Health

2019-2020: S.5332 referred to Health/A.7816 referred to Health

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S577 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    577
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. HELMING, TEDISCO -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
 
 AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to  establishing  the
   born alive abortion survivors' protection act

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding  a  new  section
 2599-b-2 to read as follows:
   § 2599-B-2. THE BORN ALIVE ABORTION SURVIVORS' PROTECTION ACT. 1.  ANY
 HEALTH  CARE  PRACTITIONER  PRESENT  AT THE TIME THE CHILD IS BORN ALIVE
 DURING AN ABORTION OR ATTEMPTED ABORTION PROCEDURE SHALL:
   (A) EXERCISE THE SAME DEGREE OF PROFESSIONAL SKILL,  CARE,  AND  DILI-
 GENCE TO PRESERVE THE LIFE AND HEALTH OF THE CHILD AS A REASONABLY DILI-
 GENT  AND  CONSCIENTIOUS  HEALTH  CARE  PRACTITIONER WOULD RENDER TO ANY
 OTHER CHILD BORN ALIVE AT THE SAME GESTATIONAL AGE; AND
   (B) FOLLOWING THE EXERCISE OF  SKILL,  CARE,  AND  DILIGENCE  REQUIRED
 UNDER  PARAGRAPH  (A)  OF  THIS  SUBDIVISION, ENSURE THAT THE CHILD BORN
 ALIVE IS IMMEDIATELY TRANSPORTED AND ADMITTED TO A HOSPITAL.
   2. A HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER LICENSED, CERTIFIED, OR AUTHORIZED UNDER
 TITLE EIGHT OF THE EDUCATION LAW, ACTING  WITHIN  THE  LAWFUL  SCOPE  OF
 PRACTICE, WHO HAS KNOWLEDGE OF A FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS
 OF  SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION SHALL IMMEDIATELY REPORT THE FAILURE
 TO AN APPROPRIATE STATE OR FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, OR TO BOTH.
   A VIOLATION OF THIS SUBDIVISION IS A CLASS A MISDEMEANOR.
   3. AN INDIVIDUAL THAT INTENTIONALLY PERFORMS OR ATTEMPTS TO PERFORM AN
 OVERT ACT THAT KILLS A CHILD BORN ALIVE DESCRIBED UNDER PARAGRAPH (A) OF
 SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION, SHALL BE GUILTY UNDER SECTION 125.25 OR
 110.05 OF THE PENAL LAW FOR INTENTIONALLY KILLING OR ATTEMPTING TO  KILL
 A HUMAN BEING.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01098-01-5

 S. 577                              2
 
   4.  THE BIRTHING PARENT OF A CHILD BORN ALIVE DESCRIBED UNDER SUBDIVI-
 SION ONE OF THIS SECTION MAY NOT BE PROSECUTED FOR A VIOLATION  OF  THIS
 SECTION,  AN  ATTEMPT  TO  VIOLATE THIS SECTION, A CONSPIRACY TO VIOLATE
 THIS SECTION, OR AN OFFENSE UNDER  SUBDIVISION  TWO  OR  THREE  OF  THIS
 SECTION BASED ON SUCH A VIOLATION.
   5.  IF  A  CHILD IS BORN ALIVE AND THERE IS A VIOLATION OF SUBDIVISION
 ONE OF THIS SECTION, THE BIRTHING PARENT OF THE CHILD  BORN  ALIVE  UPON
 WHOM  THE  ABORTION  WAS  PERFORMED  OR ATTEMPTED MAY, IN A CIVIL ACTION
 AGAINST ANY PERSON  WHO  COMMITTED  THE  VIOLATION,  OBTAIN  APPROPRIATE
 RELIEF, WHICH SHALL INCLUDE:
   (A)  ACTUAL MONEY DAMAGE FOR ALL INJURIES, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL,
 CAUSED BY THE VIOLATION OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION;
   (B) STATUTORY DAMAGES EQUAL TO THREE TIMES THE COST OF THE ABORTION OR
 ATTEMPTED ABORTION; AND
   (C) PUNITIVE DAMAGES.
   6. IF JUDGMENT IS RENDERED IN FAVOR OF THE  PLAINTIFF  IN  ANY  ACTION
 AUTHORIZED  UNDER  THIS  SECTION, THE COURT SHALL ALSO AWARD, AS PART OF
 THE COSTS, REASONABLE ATTORNEYS' FEES IN FAVOR OF THE PLAINTIFF  AGAINST
 THE DEFENDANT. IF JUDGMENT IS RENDERED IN FAVOR OF THE DEFENDANT AND THE
 COURT  FINDS  THAT  THE PLAINTIFF'S SUIT WAS FRIVOLOUS OR BROUGHT IN BAD
 FAITH, THEN THE COURT SHALL AWARD, AS  PART  OF  THE  COSTS,  REASONABLE
 ATTORNEYS' FEES IN FAVOR OF THE DEFENDANT AGAINST THE PLAINTIFF.
   7. AS USED IN THIS SECTION:
   (A)  "ATTEMPT"  MEANS WITH RESPECT TO AN ABORTION, CONDUCT THAT, UNDER
 THE CIRCUMSTANCES AS THE  ACTOR  BELIEVES  THEM  TO  BE,  CONSTITUTES  A
 SUBSTANTIAL STEP IN A COURSE OF CONDUCT PLANNED TO CULMINATE IN PERFORM-
 ING AN ABORTION.
   (B)  "BORN  ALIVE" HAS THE SAME MEANING AS DEFINED IN SECTION EIGHT OF
 TITLE ONE OF THE UNITED STATES CODE.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S577

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Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee

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co-Sponsors

2025-S577 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S577 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S577 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S577 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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Sponsored By

Pamela Helming

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee

Actions

co-Sponsors

James Tedisco

2025-S577 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S577 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S577 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S577 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments