The Center for Arizona Policy (CAP) is urging Governor Katie Hobbs (D) to sign Senate Bill (SB) 1600, sponsored by Senator Janae Shamp (R-Surprise), which aims to protect all children born alive.

“Withholding reasonable care to a living newborn just because doctors don’t expect her to live long is, indeed, heartless and cruel. @GovernorHobbs can prevent this evil by signing SB 1600,” CAP tweeted.

As reported by The Arizona Sun Times, SB 1600 simply seeks to ensure that all children born in Arizona have a chance at living. No matter the circumstances of the child’s birth, if the child is alive outside of the womb, then the bill states that the physician involved must take all “appropriate and reasonable” actions to keep the infant alive and healthy. However, parents would have the right to refuse medical treatment if it only prolongs the child’s death. Any physician who violates this bill by intentionally allowing a child to die would be subject to a class 6 felony.

CAP said this would prevent a process known as slow coding from occurring in Arizona. Slow coding is when a doctor or nurse does not put full effort into keeping someone alive because it appears medically futile. In Arizona, this may have happened to Nicole Cestaro, whose daughter was born with a chromosomal disease and later passed away. She told the Senate Health and Human Services Committee in February she believes medical experts did not try their hardest to save her daughter because of the disease.

The bill passed the House Floor Thursday, sending it to the Governor’s office for a final decision. During the floor session, State Representative Gail Griffin (R-Hereford) spoke in the bill’s favor, saying it would not hinder any doctor from performing their job.

“No doubt, doctors and nurses who work in these environments have a very difficult job. This bill does not require them to do anything more than what they have sworn an oath to do,” Griffin said. “It simply requires them to do what they can for every baby born alive.”

House Majority Whip Teresa Martinez (R-Casa Grande) also spoke up, arguing that it is ridiculous that live children need to be protected by law.

“This bill literally talks about when the baby is out of the womb, born alive,” Martinez said. “Now we’re having a conversation about when a child, who is born, should get help.”

On the other side of the aisle, Representative Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (D-Tucson) said she opposed the bill because she felt the state was telling doctors how to do their jobs and sticking its nose where it does not belong.

Once debates on the floor ended, the bill ultimately passed with bipartisan support. That being said, only one Democrat, Representative Lydia Hern(D-Phoenix), sided with Republicans. House Majority Leader Leo Biasiucci (R-Lake Havasu) thanked Hernandez for her support.

However, despite the bipartisan support, Hobbs is reportedly preparing for a veto. Tucson.com shared a statement from Murphy Herbert, Hobbs’s Chief of Communications, who said Hobbs would likely veto the bill because it “overrides patient and clinician decision-making” in potentially complex situations.

Cathi Herrod, the president of CAP, said this reasoning is flawed, as the decision still lies in the parents’ hands.

“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,” Herrod tweeted.

Hobbs has yet to release an official decision.

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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Katie Hobbs” by Katie Hobbs. Background Photo “Arizona State Capitol” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.

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