Have Infants Been ‘Born Alive’ After Attempted Abortions In Texas?

Our weekly check-in with the Texas Truth-O-Meter.

By Alexandra HartApril 24, 2019 12:05 pm,

A Texas Republican lawmaker wants to penalize doctors who don’t provide “appropriate medical treatment” to a baby if it’s born alive after an attempted abortion – something that’s extremely rare. Plano state Rep. Jeff Leach authored House Bill 16, which the House approved on April 17.

But state Democratic Rep. Donna Howard of Austin said on the house floor last week that “there have been zero reported instances of any child born alive after an abortion in Texas. Current law already treats any child born prematurely or after an abortion the same.”

Is that a fact? Madlin Mekelburg of the PolitiFact Texas fact-checking team based at the Austin American-Statesman has the answer.

See how Howard’s claim scored in the player above.

 

Written by Morgan Kuehler.