78R455 JTS-F

By:  Corte                                                        H.B. No. 15 


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to regulation of abortion; creating an offense. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Subtitle H, Title 2, Health and Safety Code, is amended by adding Chapter 171 to read as follows:
CHAPTER 171. ABORTION
SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 171.001. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "abortion" means the use of any means to terminate the pregnancy of a female known by the attending physician to be pregnant with the intention that the termination of the pregnancy by those means will, with reasonable likelihood, cause the death of the fetus. Sec. 171.002. PHYSICIAN TO PERFORM. An abortion may be performed only by a physician licensed to practice medicine in this state. Sec. 171.003. ABORTION OF FETUS AGE 16 WEEKS OR MORE. An abortion of a fetus age 16 weeks or more may be performed only at an ambulatory surgical center or hospital licensed to perform the abortion. Sec. 171.004. DEPARTMENT TO ENFORCE. The department shall enforce this chapter.
[Sections 171.005-171.010 reserved for expansion]
SUBCHAPTER B. INFORMED CONSENT
Sec. 171.011. INFORMED CONSENT REQUIRED. A person may not perform an abortion without the voluntary and informed consent of the woman on whom the abortion is to be performed. Sec. 171.012. VOLUNTARY AND INFORMED CONSENT. (a) Except in the case of a medical emergency, consent to an abortion is voluntary and informed only if: (1) the physician who is to perform the abortion or the referring physician informs the woman on whom the abortion is to be performed of: (A) the name of the physician who will perform the abortion; (B) the particular medical risks associated with the particular abortion procedure to be employed, including, when medically accurate: (i) the risks of infection, hemorrhage, and breast cancer; and (ii) the potential danger to a subsequent pregnancy and of infertility; (C) the probable gestational age of the unborn child at the time the abortion is to be performed; and (D) the medical risks associated with carrying the child to term; (2) the physician who is to perform the abortion or the physician's agent informs the woman that: (A) medical assistance benefits may be available for prenatal care, childbirth, and neonatal care; (B) the father is liable for assistance in the support of the child without regard to whether the father has offered to pay for the abortion; (C) public and private agencies provide pregnancy prevention counseling and medical referrals for obtaining pregnancy prevention medications or devices; and (D) the woman has the right to review the printed materials described by Section 171.014, that those materials have been provided by the Texas Department of Health and are accessible on an Internet website sponsored by the department, and that the materials describe the unborn child and list agencies that offer alternatives to abortion; (3) the woman certifies in writing before the abortion is performed that the information described by Subdivisions (1) and (2) and by Section 171.017 has been provided to her and that she has been informed of her opportunity to review the information described by Section 171.014; and (4) before the abortion is performed, the physician who is to perform the abortion receives a copy of the written certification required by Subdivision (3). (b) The information required to be provided under Subsections (a)(1) and (2) must be provided: (1) orally by telephone or in person; and (2) at least 24 hours before the abortion is to be performed. (c) When providing the information under Subsection (a)(2)(D), the physician or the physician's agent must provide the woman with the address of the Internet website on which the printed materials described by Section 171.014 may be viewed as required by Section 171.014(e). Sec. 171.013. DISTRIBUTION OF STATE MATERIALS. (a) If the woman chooses to view the materials described by Section 171.014, the physician or the physician's agent shall furnish copies of the materials to her at least 24 hours before the abortion is to be performed. A physician or the physician's agent may furnish the materials to the woman by mail if the materials are mailed, restricted delivery to addressee, at least 72 hours before the abortion is to be performed. (b) Except as provided by Section 171.017, a physician or the physician's agent is not required to furnish copies of the materials if the woman provides the physician with a written statement that she chooses to view the materials on the Internet website sponsored by the department. (c) The physician and the physician's agent may disassociate themselves from the materials and may choose to comment on the materials or to refrain from commenting. Sec. 171.014. INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS. (a) The department shall publish informational materials that include: (1) the information required to be provided under Sections 171.012(a)(1)(B) and (D) and (a)(2)(A), (B), and (C); and (2) the materials required by Sections 171.015, 171.016, and 171.017. (b) The materials shall be published in: (1) English and Spanish; (2) an easily comprehensible form; and (3) a typeface large enough to be clearly legible. (c) The materials shall be available at no cost from the department on request. The department shall provide appropriate quantities of the materials to any person. (d) The department shall annually review the materials to determine if changes to the contents of the materials are necessary. The department shall adopt rules necessary for considering and making changes to the materials. (e) The department shall develop and maintain an Internet website to display the information required to be published under this section. In developing and maintaining the website the department shall, to the extent reasonably practicable, safeguard the website against alterations by anyone other than the department and shall monitor the website each day to prevent and correct tampering. The department shall ensure that the website does not collect or maintain information regarding access to the website. Sec. 171.015. INFORMATION RELATING TO PUBLIC AND PRIVATE AGENCIES. The informational materials must include either: (1) geographically indexed materials designed to inform the woman of public and private agencies and services available to assist a woman through pregnancy, childbirth, and the child's dependency, including: (A) a comprehensive list of adoption agencies; (B) a description of the services the adoption agencies offer; and (C) a description of the manner, including telephone numbers, in which an adoption agency may be contacted; or (2) a toll-free, 24-hour telephone number that may be called to obtain an oral list and description of agencies described by Subdivision (1) that are located near the caller and of the services the agencies offer. Sec. 171.016. INFORMATION RELATING TO CHARACTERISTICS OF UNBORN CHILD. (a) The informational materials must include materials designed to inform the woman of the probable anatomical and physiological characteristics of the unborn child at two-week gestational increments from the time when a woman can be known to be pregnant to full term, including any relevant information on the possibility of the unborn child's survival. (b) The materials must include color pictures representing the development of the child at two-week gestational increments. The pictures must contain the dimensions of the unborn child and must be realistic. (c) The materials provided under this section must be objective and nonjudgmental and be designed to convey only accurate scientific information about the unborn child at the various gestational ages. Sec. 171.017. INFORMATION RELATING TO PREVENTION OF PREGNANCY. (a) The informational materials must include materials that are designed to inform the woman of pregnancy prevention methods for females and males and that: (1) describe each method in detail; and (2) include pictures or diagrams that illustrate the proper use of each method. (b) The physician who is to perform the abortion, the referring physician, or the agent of either physician shall provide a woman requesting an abortion with the materials published under this section, without regard to whether the woman chooses to view the informational materials under Section 171.012(a)(2)(D). Sec. 171.018. PERIODS RUN CONCURRENTLY. If the woman is an unemancipated minor subject to Chapter 33, Family Code, the 24-hour periods established under Sections 171.012(b) and 171.013(a) may run concurrently with the period during which actual or constructive notice is provided under Section 33.002, Family Code. Sec. 171.019. OFFENSE. A physician who intentionally performs an abortion on a woman in violation of this subchapter commits an offense. An offense under this section is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $10,000. In this section, "intentionally" has the meaning assigned by Section 6.03(a), Penal Code. SECTION 2. Section 245.004, Health and Safety Code, is amended to read as follows: Sec. 245.004. EXEMPTIONS FROM LICENSING REQUIREMENT. (a) The following facilities need not be licensed under this chapter: (1) a hospital licensed under Chapter 241 (Texas Hospital Licensing Law); or (2) the office of a physician licensed under Subtitle B, Title 3, Occupations Code, unless the office is used substantially for the purpose of performing [more than 300] abortions [in any 12-month period]. (b) For purposes of this section, a facility is used substantially for the purpose of performing abortions if the facility: (1) is a provider for performing: (A) at least 10 abortion procedures during any month; or (B) at least 100 abortion procedures in a year; (2) operates less than 20 days in a month and the facility, in any month, is a provider for performing a number of abortion procedures that would be equivalent to at least 10 procedures in a month if the facility were operating at least 20 days in a month; (3) holds itself out to the public as an abortion provider by advertising by any public means, including advertising placed in a newspaper, telephone directory, magazine, or electronic medium, that the facility performs abortions; or (4) applies for an abortion facility license. (c) For purposes of this section, an abortion facility is operating if the facility is open for any period of time during a day and has on site at the facility or on call a physician available to perform abortions. [In computing the number of abortions performed in the office of a physician under Subsection (a)(2), an abortion performed in accordance with Section 245.016 is not included.] SECTION 3. Section 245.010(a), Health and Safety Code, is amended to read as follows: (a) The rules must contain minimum standards to protect the health and safety of a patient of an abortion facility and must contain provisions requiring compliance with the requirements of Subchapter B, Chapter 171. SECTION 4. Chapter 245, Health and Safety Code, is amended by adding Section 245.0104 to read as follows: Sec. 245.0104. LOCATION OF ABORTION FACILITY. (a) In this section: (1) "Church" means a facility that is owned by a religious organization and that is used primarily for religious services. (2) "School" means a public or private school that provides any part of kindergarten through 12th grade. (b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), an abortion facility may not be located within 1,500 feet of the property on which a church or school is located. (c) The measurement of the distance between an abortion facility and a church or school is from the nearest property line of the church or school to the property line of the property on which the abortion facility is located, along street lines and in direct lines across intersections. (d) Subsection (a) does not apply to an abortion facility that began operation before September 1, 2003. An abortion facility does not violate Subsection (a) if the facility is in compliance with that subsection on the date the facility begins operation and a church or school subsequently is located within 1,500 feet of the facility. SECTION 5. The Texas Department of Health shall prepare the informational materials required by Section 171.014, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act, and shall have the materials available for distribution as required by Chapter 171, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act, not later than December 1, 2003. SECTION 6. If any provision of this Act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the Act that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this Act are severable. SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2003, and applies only to an abortion that is performed on or after January 1, 2004. An abortion that is performed before January 1, 2004, is governed by the law as it existed immediately before the effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose.