Minnesota House Democrats recently voted down HF24, a bill designed to protect against infanticide.
Until the DFL trifecta took over Minnesota in 2023, this simple concept of saving breathing, born-alive babies had bipartisan support in Minnesota for many years. And rightfully so, because, while rare, there are babies who survive abortion. HF24 would have ensured that infants born alive after an attempted abortion receive life-saving medical care.
Yet, Minnesota Democrats found a way to oppose it. Rep. Andy Smith, DFL-Rochester, claims this bill is a “tragedy based on a lie,” alleging that it would force unnecessary interventions on dying infants. His gross misrepresentation does a grave disservice to real victims: Minnesota abortion survivors. These survivors should not be left to die under the guise of “comfort care.” These babies deserve a real chance at life.
HF24 would have protected Minnesotans against infanticide
HF24 is not about forcing unnecessary, painful interventions on infants with no chance of survival. It simply protects Minnesotans against infanticide. HF24 ensures that when an infant is born alive—breathing, moving, with a beating heart—medical professionals must provide life-saving medical care.
Current Minnesota law only requires comfort care, meaning babies who survive abortion attempts can be left to die as long as they are “comfortable.” HF24 does not override the judgment of doctors in truly terminal cases but closes a dangerous loophole, ensuring every newborn is treated with dignity and offered a chance at life.
Rep. Smith argues that HF24 would take away precious moments grieving parents have with their children. In reality, HF24 ensures palliative care for infants who cannot survive, just as with any other newborn with fatal conditions. Comfort care should never be a euphemism for withholding life-saving treatment from a child who has a chance to live. The idea that doctors would be forced to perform futile or painful interventions against medical ethics is false.
Do ‘born-alive’ infants really exist?
Yes, abortion survivors do exist. In testimony before the House Health Finance and Policy Committee on Feb. 12, 2025, abortion survivors—including one from St. Paul—shared their stories. Minnesota Department of Health data suggests that Minnesota infants survived abortion attempts in 2021. Nationally, the CDC documented at least 143 cases from 2003 to 2014 where infants were born alive following an abortion, likely an undercount. Yet, opponents dismiss this reality, claiming “it simply doesn’t happen.” House Democrats also claimed pro-lifers were “misrepresenting” the abortion data from our own Department of Health that lays out these facts. If science matters, this data and these survivors cannot be ignored.
Minnesotans should stand up for abortion survivors
At the federal level, the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act recognizes that every infant born alive is a person under the law. HF24 reinforces that Minnesota upholds this basic principle. The bill does not interfere with a woman’s ability to obtain an abortion. It does not mandate extraordinary medical measures. It only requires that a baby who is already born be given the same life-saving consideration as any other newborn.
Opponents of HF24 claim that this is a manufactured issue, yet they cannot answer one simple question: If a baby is born alive, should they receive life-saving medical care? If the answer is yes, then put it in law. If they oppose infanticide, put it into law. Most Minnesotans are not extremists, they do not support infanticide. This is not about politics. It is about basic human rights. Minnesota legislators should stand for life and human dignity—not allow blind ideological allegiance to dictate which infants get life-saving medical care and which do not.
Chris Massoglia serves as a strategic partnership advisor in the Midwest for Americans United for Life, one of America’s first pro-life organizations. Chris serves on the city council in Blaine, Minn., residing there with his wife and three children.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not represent an official position of Alpha News.
Chris Massoglia
Chris Massoglia serves as a strategic partnership advisor in the Midwest for Americans United for Life, one of America's first pro-life organizations. Chris serves on the city council in Blaine, MN, residing there with his wife and three children.
