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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>63705</law_id><section_number>40.1-103</section_number><catch_line>Cruelty and injuries to children; penalty; abandoned infant</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>19.2-386.35</reference><reference>19.2-392.12</reference><reference>40.1-113</reference><reference>40.1-79.01</reference><reference>40.1-79.1</reference><reference>53.1-202.3</reference><reference>53.1-40.02</reference><reference>63.2-1530</reference><reference>8.01-226.5:2</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="40.1">Labor and Employment</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="5">Child Labor</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> It shall be unlawful for any person employing or having the <span class="dictionary">custody</span> of any child willfully or negligently to cause or permit the life of such child to be endangered or the health of such child to be injured, or willfully or negligently to cause or permit such child to be placed in a situation that its life, health or morals may be endangered, or to cause or permit such child to be overworked, tortured, tormented, mutilated, beaten or cruelly treated. Any person violating this section is guilty of a Class 6 <span class="dictionary">felony</span>. <a id="paragraph-232042" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/40.1-103/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> If a <span class="dictionary">prosecution</span> under this section is based solely on the <span class="dictionary">accused</span> parent having left the child at a hospital or emergency medical services agency, it shall be an <span class="dictionary">affirmative defense</span> to <span class="dictionary">prosecution</span> of a parent under this section that such parent safely delivered the child within the first 30 days of the child&#x2019;s life to (i) a hospital that provides 24-hour emergency services, (ii) an attended emergency medical services agency that <span class="dictionary">employs</span> emergency medical services personnel, or (iii) a newborn safety device located at and operated by such hospital or emergency medical services agency. In <span class="dictionary">order</span> for the <span class="dictionary">affirmative defense</span> to apply, the child shall be delivered in a manner reasonably calculated to ensure the child&#x2019;s safety. <a id="paragraph-232043" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/40.1-103/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 40-112; 1970, c. 321; 1991, c. 511; 2003, cc. 816, 822; 2006, c. 935; 2015, cc. 502, 503; 2022, cc. 80, 81.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
