Maryland 'Pregnant Persons' Bill Seeks to Decriminalize Infanticide
A new set of bills under consideration in the Maryland House and Senate are raising eyebrows for what they would change in the law concerning mothers who abandon their newborns to die either because they no longer want the child or are unable to care for their baby.
[...] this bill will effectively legalize infanticide. The exact language of the bill states: “This section may not be construed to authorize any form of investigation or penalty for a person...experiencing a...perinatal death related to a failure to act.” (Emphasis added). In other words, a baby born alive and well could be abandoned and left to starve or freeze to death, and nothing could be done to punish those who participated in that cruel death. The bill also includes a section that would allow “a person [to] bring a cause of action for damages if the person was subject to unlawful arrest or criminal investigation for a violation of this section as a result of...experiencing a...perinatal death.