united-states criminal-law abortion
2002 or 2006 law on infanticide
<p>I have heard that a law passed in one of the above years says a doctor is required to give medical attention to any born-alive infant.  I'm just trying to find the law</p>

<p>You are thinking of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born-Alive_Infants_Protection_Act" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002</a> which doesn't precisely say what you suggested that it did.</p>

<p>It says in its entirety (1 USC § 8):</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>(a) In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any
  ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative
  bureaus and agencies of the United States, the words “person”, “human
  being”, “child”, and “individual”, shall include every infant member
  of the species homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of
  development.</p>
  
  <p>(b) As used in this section, the term “born alive”, with respect to a
  member of the species homo sapiens, means the complete expulsion or
  extraction from his or her mother of that member, at any stage of
  development, who after such expulsion or extraction breathes or has a
  beating heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement
  of voluntary muscles, regardless of whether the umbilical cord has
  been cut, and regardless of whether the expulsion or extraction occurs
  as a result of natural or induced labor, cesarean section, or induced
  abortion.</p>
  
  <p>(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to affirm, deny,
  expand, or contract any legal status or legal right applicable to any
  member of the species homo sapiens at any point prior to being “born
  alive” as defined in this section.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>It does not "says a doctor is required to give medical attention to any born-alive infant." It basically says that if a fetus is breathing or has a pulse or is moving voluntarily, after leaving the womb in a failed induced abortion, that for purposes of all federal laws and regulations, this counts as a born alive infant. But, any application of this definition must flow from other federal laws and regulations, and in practice, few federal laws or regulations impose any notable duties in this situation which is mostly governed by state law.</p>

<p>Notably, federal law does not have a general purpose homicide or child abuse statute, although it does have a compulsory emergency medical treatment act that applies to emergency rooms only (which is a place where induced abortions are very rarely conducted).</p>

<p>In particular, since there is no general purpose homicide statute in federal law, it does not prohibit infanticide.</p>
