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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>58717</law_id><section_number>18.2-71.1</section_number><catch_line>Partial birth infanticide; penalty</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="18.2">Crimes and Offenses Generally</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="4">Crimes Against the Person</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="9">Abortion</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Any person who knowingly performs <span class="dictionary">partial birth infanticide</span> and thereby kills a human infant is guilty of a Class 4 <span class="dictionary">felony</span>. <a id="paragraph-215171" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-71.1/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> For the purposes of this section, &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">partial birth infanticide</span>&#x201D; means any deliberate act that (i) is intended to kill a <span class="dictionary">human infant who has been born alive</span>, but who has not been completely extracted or expelled from its mother, and that (ii) does kill such infant, regardless of whether death occurs before or after extraction or expulsion from its mother has been completed.
			The term &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">partial birth infanticide</span>&#x201D; shall not under any circumstances be construed to include any of the following procedures: (i) the suction curettage abortion procedure, (ii) the suction aspiration abortion procedure, (iii) the dilation and evacuation abortion procedure involving dismemberment of the fetus prior to removal from the body of the mother, or (iv) completing delivery of a living human infant and severing the umbilical cord of any infant who has been completely delivered. <a id="paragraph-215172" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-71.1/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> For the purposes of this section, &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">human infant who has been born alive</span>&#x201D; means a product of human conception that has been completely or substantially expelled or extracted from its mother, regardless of the duration of pregnancy, which after such expulsion or extraction breathes or shows any other <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> of life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached. <a id="paragraph-215173" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-71.1/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> For purposes of this section, &#x201C;substantially expelled or extracted from its mother&#x201D; means, in the case of a headfirst presentation, the infant&#x2019;s entire head is outside the body of the mother, or, in the case of breech presentation, any part of the infant&#x2019;s trunk past the navel is outside the body of the mother. <a id="paragraph-215174" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-71.1/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E"><p><span class="prefix-number">E.</span> This section shall not prohibit the use by a physician of any procedure that, in reasonable medical <span class="dictionary">judgment</span>, is necessary to prevent the death of the mother, so long as the physician takes every medically reasonable step, consistent with such procedure, to preserve the life and health of the infant. A procedure shall not be deemed necessary to prevent the death of the mother if completing the delivery of the living infant would prevent the death of the mother. <a id="paragraph-215175" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-71.1/#E"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="F"><p><span class="prefix-number">F.</span> The mother may not be prosecuted for any criminal <span class="dictionary">offense</span> based on the performance of any act or procedure by a physician in violation of this section. <a id="paragraph-215176" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/18.2-71.1/#F"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2003, cc. 961, 963.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
