§ 50-20-707 — Informed Consent Requirements For Abortion-Inducing Drugs

50-20-707 . Informed consent requirements for abortion-inducing drugs. (1) An abortion-inducing drug may not be provided without the informed consent of the pregnant woman to whom the abortion-inducing drug is being provided.
(2) Informed consent to a chemical abortion must be obtained at least 24 hours before the abortion-inducing drug is provided to the pregnant woman except when, in reasonable medical judgment, compliance with this subsection would pose a greater risk of:
(a) the death of the pregnant woman; or
(b) the substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, not including psychological or emotional conditions, of the pregnant woman.
(3) A form created by the department must be used by a qualified medical practitioner to obtain the consent required prior to providing an abortion-inducing drug.
(4) A consent form is not valid and consent is not sufficient unless:
(a) the woman initials each entry, list, description, or declaration required to be included in the consent form as provided in subsection (5);
(b) the woman signs the consent statement described in subsection (5)(j); and
(c) the qualified medical practitioner signs the qualified medical practitioner declaration described in subsection (5)(k).
(5) The consent form must include, but is not limited to the following:
(a) the probable gestational age of the unborn child as determined by both patient history and ultrasound results used to confirm gestational age;
(b) a detailed description of the steps to complete the chemical abortion;
(c) a detailed list of the risks related to the specific abortion-inducing drug or drugs to be used, including but not limited to hemorrhage, failure to remove all tissue of the unborn child, which may require an additional procedure, sepsis, sterility, and possible continuation of pregnancy;
(d) information about Rh incompatibility, including that if the pregnant woman has an Rh negative blood type, the woman should receive an injection of Rh immunoglobulin at the time of the abortion to prevent Rh incompatibility in future pregnancies, which can lead to complications and miscarriage in future pregnancies;
(e) a description of the risks of complications from a chemical abortion, including incomplete abortion, which increase with advancing gestational age;
(f) information about the possibility of reversing the effects of the chemical abortion if the pregnant woman changes the woman's mind and that time is of the essence;
(g) information that the pregnant woman could see the remains of the unborn child in the process of completing the abortion;
(h) information that initial studies suggest that children born after reversing the effects of an abortion-inducing drug have no greater risk of birth defects than the general population and that initial studies suggest that there is no increased risk of maternal mortality after reversing the effects of an abortion-inducing drug;
(i) notice that information on and assistance with reversing the effects of abortion-inducing drugs are available in the state-prepared materials;
(j) an acknowledgment of risks and consent statement, which must be signed by the woman. The statement must include but is not limited to the following declarations, which must be individually initialed by the woman, that:
(i) the woman understands that the abortion-inducing drug regimen or procedure is intended to end the woman's pregnancy and will result in the death of the unborn child;
(ii) the woman is not being forced to have an abortion, the woman has the choice not to have the abortion, and the woman may withdraw the woman's consent to the abortion-inducing drug regimen even after beginning the abortion-inducing drug regimen;
(iii) the woman understands that the chemical abortion regimen or procedure to be used has specific risks and may result in specific complications;
(iv) the woman has been given the opportunity to ask questions about the woman's pregnancy, the development of the unborn child, alternatives to abortion, the abortion-inducing drug or drugs to be used, and the risks and complications inherent to the abortion-inducing drug or drugs to be used;
(v) the woman was specifically told that "information on the potential ability of qualified medical professionals to reverse the effects of an abortion obtained through the use of abortion-inducing drugs is available at www.abortionpillreversal.com, or you can contact (877) 558-0333 for assistance in locating a medical professional who can aid in the reversal of an abortion";
(vi) the woman has been provided access to state-prepared, printed materials on informed consent for abortion;
(vii) if applicable, the woman has been given the name and phone number of the associated medical practitioner who has agreed to provide medical care and treatment in the event of complications associated with the abortion-inducing drug regimen or procedure;
(viii) the qualified medical practitioner will schedule an in-person follow-up visit for the woman approximately 7 to 14 days after providing the abortion-inducing drug or drugs to confirm that the pregnancy is completely terminated and to assess the degree of bleeding and other complications;
(ix) the woman has received or been given sufficient information to give the woman's informed consent to the abortion-inducing drug regimen or procedure; and
(x) the woman has a private right of action to sue the qualified medical practitioner under the laws of the state if the woman feels coerced or misled prior to obtaining an abortion and how to access state resources regarding the woman's legal right to obtain relief.
(k) a qualified medical practitioner declaration that must be signed by the qualified medical practitioner stating that the qualified medical practitioner has explained the abortion-inducing drug or drugs to be used, has provided all of the information required in this subsection (5), and has answered all of the woman's questions.

Legislative History

En. Sec. 7, Ch. 309, L. 2021.