April 29, 2025
A Concerning Piece of Legislation—SB 5093—Could Curtail Investigations into Infanticide and Likely Aid Abusers and Traffickers in Concealing Their Crimes in Washington
A piece of legislation that would make it harder for authorities to investigate infanticide currently sits on the governor’s desk in Washington state. The bill, SB 5093, deceptively referred to as an act “relating to dignity in pregnancy loss,” will repeal the crime of “concealing a birth” and remove a coroner’s jurisdiction over stillbirths, premature infant deaths, and abortion, except in cases where other criminal activities are strongly suspected.
If signed by Washington Governor Robert Ferguson, the bill will amend state law by removing clauses that formerly granted the county coroner limited jurisdiction over bodies that were the result of “known or suspected abortion” or “premature birth or still birth.” Since the bill also repeals a law that prohibits concealing a pregnancy, it seems animated by a desire to cast darkness and obscurity over cases of infant death. It provides a useful tool for those wishing to conceal late-term abortions, infanticide, and even human trafficking.
When the bill was in the House, Rep. Brian Burnett (R), former sheriff of Chelan County, supported amendments to the bill that would still hold criminals responsible. Speaking in the House, Rep. Burnett cut right to the heart of the issue: “This is about the traffickers.”
The Center Square recorded a video of Rep. Burnett’s testimony, in which he stated,
“I’m very familiar with human trafficking and the impacts that it has on the survivors. . .It’s this vicious cycle that potentially leads to pregnancy and forced abortions, sometimes allowed to carry out. . .and then they take that baby, and they do what they want to with it. . .this is the world we live in, Mr. Speaker, and it is truth, and we should be doing everything in our powers, legislatively, public safety wise, federally, nationally, internationally, locally, state, to put a stop to this and eradicate this type of behavior and victimization.”
READ: Students for Life Action Urges Boldness on Behalf of the Preborn as Anti-Infanticide Bill Introduced
According to The Center Square and Rep. Burnett’s own testimony, the former sheriff adopted a young woman who was the victim of trafficking. When his adopted daughter was being trafficked, she got pregnant many times. Sometimes she was forced to abort the baby, sometimes she miscarried, and sometimes she gave birth to premature babies and never knew what happened to them.
This is the type of horrific activity that SB 5093 will end up protecting since it interferes with investigators’ authority to investigate infant deaths. As conservative talk-radio host Jason Rantz wrote, “It amounts to a state-sanctioned shield for traffickers, abusers, and anyone else looking to cover up a dead infant. Unless a baby is clearly murdered with intent and there’s a smoking gun, no one’s allowed to ask questions. That’s not compassion. That’s enabling murder.”
Republicans tried to uphold justice by introducing amendments to the bill that would preserve the power of investigators. Rep. Jim Walsh (R), for example, introduced an amendment that would allow investigation if there was evidence the baby was alive at birth and did not receive the medical care necessary to save its life. And Rep. Burnett advocated for an amendment that would allow investigation when there’s suspicion that the infant death is related to sex trafficking.
Yet, incredibly, none of these amendments were adopted, and the bill was eventually passed by Senate Democrats on Thursday, April 17th, 2025 with very little changes. (The only amendment that was adopted had to do with the timing of the bill.) It was delivered to the Governor on Wednesday April 23rd, 2025.
If the Governor signs, he will cast a serious obstacle in the path of police and other officials who might want to investigate the deaths of infants in his state. This would be a tragedy for women and a tragedy for preborn (and born!) infants alike.
LEARN ABOUT ABORTION SURVIVORS HERE in the Almost Aborted Campaign, including Abortion Survivor Melissa Ohden and Abortion Survivor Josiah Presley.