Trump signs executive order aimed at strengthening protections for infants who survive abortion

President Trump on Friday signed an executive order aimed at strengthening protections for vulnerable infants who are alive when born, including those who survive abortion attempts. 

The president's executive order, which he promised to sign earlier this week during an appearance at the National Prayer Breakfast, dictates that the Secretary of Health and Human Services ensure that legal protections for born-alive infants are enforced in hospitals accepting federal funding. 

The directive also stipulates that federal grants be prioritized to medical facilities and hospitals that offer staff training regarding "the provision of life-saving medical treatment to all infants born alive."

Trump notes in the order that the various laws the directive seeks to enforce "help protect infants born alive from discrimination in the provision of medical treatment, including infants who require emergency medical treatment, who are premature, or who are born with disabilities."

"Every infant born alive, no matter the circumstances of his or her birth, has the same dignity and the same rights as every other individual and is entitled to the same protections under Federal law," the president writes in the document.