Senate Committee Hears Testimony On ‘Born Alive Infant’ Bill

The Wyoming Senate Labor, Health and Social Services Committee took public testimony on Wednesday morning on a bill that would mandate life-saving efforts for an infant who remains alive after an abortion in the state.

You can read Senate File 97 here.

Cheyenne OBGYN Dr. Rene Hinkle testified that the bill is unneeded and intrusive. She said the bill is unnecessary because Wyoming law already prohibits aborting fetuses who could live outside of the womb, except in medical emergencies in which the mother's life is in jeopardy.

She said the bill would insert the government into medical situations involving pregnancies, with doctors being put in the position of wondering if someone might try to use the law against them for medical decisions.

But another doctor who attended the hearing, former Wyoming gubernatorial candidate Dr. Taylor Haynes, said after the hearing that he supports the legislation.

Haynes said he thinks Senate file 97 is an "excellent bill" and a proactive effort to get in front of possible future laws that may allow for the killing of live-born babies, which he said is already happening in the states of Virginia and New York.

Committee Chair Sen. Charles Scott [R-Natrona County] said the hearing would be continued on Friday morning, at which point he expected the committee to take a vote on the measure.

Scott also admitted that he personally was struggling with many of the issues raised by the bill. He went on to say that he thought some of the issues might possibly be addressed through amendments to the legislation.