Alabama § 22-20-3.1 Educational Information on Pertussis to Be Provided Prior to Discharge of Newborn Child

Alabama Statutes

§ 22-20-3.1 — Educational Information on Pertussis to Be Provided Prior to Discharge of Newborn Child

Alabama § 22-20-3.1

Title 22Health, Mental Health, and Environmental Control

Ch. 20Miscellaneous Health Laws

This text of Alabama § 22-20-3.1 (Educational Information on Pertussis to Be Provided Prior to Discharge of Newborn Child) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Ala. Code § 22-20-3.1 (2026).

Text

(a)During the postpartum period, before discharging a newborn child, a hospital shall provide parents with educational information on pertussis disease. The information provided to parents shall contain the following statement: Pertussis, whooping cough, can cause serious illness in infants, children, and adults and can even be life-threatening, especially in infants. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most effective way to prevent pertussis is through vaccination of both children and parents. For more information on protecting your child by obtaining the pertussis vaccination please contact your physician, county health department, or the Alabama Department of Public Health.

(b)Nothing in this section shall require any hospital to provide or pay for a

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

(a) During the postpartum period, before discharging a newborn child, a hospital shall provide parents with educational information on pertussis disease. The information provided to parents shall contain the following statement:
Pertussis, whooping cough, can cause serious illness in infants, children, and adults and can even be life-threatening, especially in infants. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most effective way to prevent pertussis is through vaccination of both children and parents. For more information on protecting your child by obtaining the pertussis vaccination please contact your physician, county health department, or the Alabama Department of Public Health.
(b) Nothing in this section shall require any hospital to provide or pay for any vaccination against pertussis.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to establish a standard of care for hospitals or physicians or otherwise modify, amend, or supersede any provision of the Alabama Medical Liability Act of 1987 or the Alabama Medical Liability Act of 1996, or any amendment thereto, or any judicial interpretation thereof.
(d) Physicians and hospitals, as hospitals are defined in Section 22-21-20, shall not have legal liability or responsibility for claims resulting from providing or failing to provide the pertussis information required pursuant to subsection (a).