Citations Affected: IC 16-18; IC 16-34; IC 35-51.
Synopsis: Abortion inducing drugs. Amends the definition of
"abortion clinic" to include facilities that provide abortion inducing
drugs. Specifies that only a physician may administer to a pregnant
woman an abortion inducing drug. Sets forth the procedure an abortion
clinic must follow before giving, selling, dispensing, administering,
prescribing, or providing an abortion inducing drug to a pregnant
woman. Requires certain physicians who learn of an adverse event
following the use of an abortion inducing drug to report the adverse
event to the medical licensing board. Specifies that the reports of
adverse events related to abortion inducing drugs and maintained by
the medical licensing board are public records. Makes a violation
concerning distribution of an abortion inducing drug and failure to
report an adverse event a Class A misdemeanor.
Effective: July 1, 2013.
January 8, 2013, read first time and referred to Committee on Health and Provider
Services.
February 21, 2013, amended, reported favorably _ Do Pass.
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
health.
AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
1, 2013]: Sec. 1.6. "Abortion inducing drug", for purposes of
IC 16-34-3, has the meaning set forth in IC 16-34-3-1.
inducing drug to a pregnant woman for the purpose of inducing an
abortion or enabling a person to induce an abortion unless the
individual is a physician licensed under IC 25-22.5.
(b) Before giving, selling, dispensing, administering, prescribing,
or otherwise providing an abortion inducing drug to a pregnant
woman, an abortion clinic licensed under IC 16-21-2 shall do the
following:
(1) Have the pregnant woman examined in person by a
physician licensed under IC 25-22.5.
(2) Conduct ultrasound imaging or oversee fetal ultrasound
imaging by an individual who is licensed or certified in
Indiana and whose scope of practice within the licensure or
certification includes conducting ultrasound imaging.
(3) Document the following information on the pregnant
woman's medical chart:
(A) The gestational age of the fetus.
(B) The intrauterine location of the fetus.
(4) Provide the following information to the pregnant woman:
(A) A copy of the final printed drug label.
(B) The information required in IC 16-34-2-1.1.
(5) Comply with the admitting privilege requirements set
forth in IC 16-34-2-4.5.
(c) A physician licensed under IC 25-22.5 and retained by an
abortion clinic licensed under IC 16-21-2 who gives, sells,
dispenses, administers, prescribes, or otherwise provides an
abortion inducing drug to a pregnant woman shall schedule a
follow-up appointment with the woman at approximately fourteen
(14) days after administration of the abortion inducing drug to:
(1) confirm that the pregnancy is terminated by conducting
ultrasound imaging; and
(2) assess the degree of bleeding experienced by the pregnant
woman.
(d) The physician described in subsection (c) shall make a
reasonable effort to ensure that the pregnant woman returns for
the follow-up appointment described in subsection (c), including
recording in the pregnant woman's medical records the date, and
time of the follow-up appointment, a brief description of the efforts
by the physician and the physician's staff to ensure the woman's
return, and the name of the individual who performed the efforts.
Sec. 5. (a) A physician licensed under IC 25-22.5 and retained by
an abortion clinic licensed under IC 16-21-2 who gives, sells,
dispenses, administers, prescribes, or otherwise provides an
abortion inducing drug to a pregnant woman and who is aware of
a subsequent adverse event from the abortion inducing drug shall
report the adverse event not later than three (3) days following the
physician's knowledge of the adverse event to the medical licensing
board of Indiana.
(b) The medical licensing board of Indiana shall do the
following:
(1) Compile and retain the reports received under subsection
(a).
(2) Make the reports available as public records and open to
inspection. However, the medical licensing board of Indiana
shall ensure that personally identifiable information
contained in the reports concerning a patient are redacted
before the reports are made available to the public under this
section.
Sec. 6. (a) A person who intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly
violates this chapter commits an unlawful activity related to an
abortion inducing drug, a Class A misdemeanor. A pregnant
woman upon whom the drug induced abortion is performed may
not be assessed a penalty under this section.
(b) In addition to the criminal penalty under subsection (a), a
person who violates this chapter may be subject to disciplinary
sanctions under IC 25-1-9 and civil liability for wrongful death and
medical malpractice.