SECTION 2. Chapter 171,
Health and Safety Code, is amended by adding Subchapter C to read as
follows:
No
equivalent provision.
No
equivalent provision.
No
equivalent provision.
No
equivalent provision.
No
equivalent provision.
No
equivalent provision.
No
equivalent provision.
No
equivalent provision.
No
equivalent provision.
SUBCHAPTER C.
ABORTION-INDUCING DRUGS
Sec. 171.041.
DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
(See Sec. 171.0411 below.)
(1)
"Abortion-inducing drug" means a drug, a medicine, or any other
substance, including a regimen of two or more drugs, medicines, or
substances, prescribed, dispensed, or administered with the intent of
terminating a clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman and with
knowledge that the termination will, with reasonable likelihood, cause the
death of the woman's unborn child. The term includes off-label use of drugs,
medicines, or other substances known to have abortion-inducing properties
that are prescribed, dispensed, or administered with the intent of causing
an abortion, including the Mifeprex regimen. The term does not include a
drug, medicine, or other substance that may be known to cause an abortion
but is prescribed, dispensed, or administered for other medical reasons.
(2) "Final printed
label" or "FPL" means the informational document approved by
the United States Food and Drug Administration for an abortion-inducing
drug that:
(A) outlines the protocol
authorized by that agency and agreed to by the drug company applying for
authorization of the drug by that agency; and
(B) delineates how a drug
is to be used according to approval by that agency.
(3) "Gestational
age" means the amount of time that has elapsed since the first day of
a woman's last menstrual period.
(4) "Medical
abortion" means the administration or use of an abortion-inducing drug
to induce an abortion.
(5) "Mifeprex
regimen," "RU-486 regimen," or "RU-486" means the
abortion-inducing drug regimen approved by the United States Food and Drug
Administration that consists of administering mifepristone and misoprostal.
(6) "Physician"
means an individual who is licensed to practice medicine in this state,
including a medical doctor and a doctor of osteopathic medicine.
(7) "Pregnant"
means the female reproductive condition of having an unborn child in a
woman's uterus.
(8) "Unborn
child" means an offspring of human beings from conception until birth.
Sec. 171.0411.
APPLICABILITY TO MEDICAL ABORTION. This subchapter does not apply to an
abortion with the intent to:
(1) save the life or
preserve the health of an unborn child;
(2) remove a dead, unborn
child whose death was caused by spontaneous abortion;
(3) remove an ectopic
pregnancy; or
(4) treat a maternal
disease or illness for which a prescribed drug, medicine, or other
substance is indicated.
Sec. 171.042. ENFORCEMENT
BY TEXAS MEDICAL BOARD.
Sec. 171.043.
DISTRIBUTION OF ABORTION-INDUCING DRUG. (a) A person may not knowingly
give, sell, dispense, administer, provide, or prescribe an
abortion-inducing drug to a pregnant woman for the purpose of inducing an
abortion in the pregnant woman or enabling another person to induce an
abortion in the pregnant woman unless:
(1) the person who gives,
sells, dispenses, administers, provides, or prescribes the
abortion-inducing drug is a physician;
(2) the physician administering the abortion-inducing drug
administers the drug to the woman while both are present at an abortion
facility licensed under Chapter 245; and
(3) the provision,
prescription, or administration of the abortion-inducing drug, except as
provided by Subsection (a-1), satisfies the protocol tested and authorized
by the United States Food and Drug Administration as outlined in the final
printed label of the abortion-inducing drug.
(a-1) A person may
provide, prescribe, or administer the abortion-inducing drug in the dosage
amount prescribed by the clinical management guidelines defined by the
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Practice Bulletin as
those guidelines existed on January 1, 2013.
(b) Before the physician
gives, sells, dispenses, administers, provides, or prescribes an
abortion-inducing drug, the physician must examine the pregnant woman and
document, in the woman's medical record, the gestational age and
intrauterine location of the pregnancy.
(c) The physician who
gives, sells, dispenses, administers, provides, or prescribes an abortion-inducing
drug shall provide the pregnant woman with:
(1) a copy of the final
printed label of that abortion-inducing drug; and
(2) a telephone number by
which the pregnant woman may reach the physician, or other health care
personnel employed by the physician or by the facility at which the
abortion was performed with access to the woman's relevant medical records,
24 hours a day to request assistance for any complications that arise from
the administration or use of the drug or ask health-related questions
regarding the administration or use of the drug.
(d) The physician who
gives, sells, dispenses, administers, provides, or prescribes the
abortion-inducing drug, or the physician's agent, must schedule a follow-up
visit for the woman to occur not more than 14 days after the administration
or use of the drug. At the follow-up visit, the physician must:
(1) confirm that the
pregnancy is completely terminated; and
(2) assess the degree of
bleeding.
(e) The physician who
gives, sells, dispenses, administers, provides, or prescribes the
abortion-inducing drug, or the physician's agent, shall make a reasonable
effort to ensure that the woman returns for the scheduled follow-up visit
under Subsection (d). The physician or the physician's agent shall document
a brief description of any effort made to comply with this subsection,
including the date, time, and name of the person making the effort, in the
woman's medical record.
(f) If a physician gives,
sells, dispenses, administers, provides, or prescribes an abortion-inducing
drug to a pregnant woman for the purpose of inducing an abortion as
authorized by this section and the physician knows that the woman
experiences a serious adverse event, as defined by the MedWatch Reporting
System, during or after the administration or use of the drug, the
physician shall report the event to the United States Food and Drug
Administration through the MedWatch Reporting System not later than the
third day after the date the physician learns that the event occurred.
Sec. 171.044.
ADMINISTRATIVE PENALTY.
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SECTION 3. Chapter 171,
Health and Safety Code, is amended by adding Subchapters C and D to read as
follows:
SUBCHAPTER C. ABORTION
PROHIBITED AT OR AFTER 20 WEEKS POST-FERTILIZATION
Sec. 171.041. SHORT
TITLE. This subchapter may be cited as the Preborn Pain Act.
Sec. 171.042.
DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
(1)
"Post-fertilization age" means the age of the unborn child as
calculated from the fusion of a human spermatozoon with a human ovum.
(2) "Severe fetal abnormality"
has the meaning assigned by Section 285.202.
Sec. 171.043.
DETERMINATION OF POST-FERTILIZATION AGE REQUIRED. Except as otherwise
provided by Section 171.046, a physician may not perform or induce or
attempt to perform or induce an abortion without, prior to the procedure:
(1) making a
determination of the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child;
or
(2) possessing and
relying on a determination of the probable post-fertilization age of the
unborn child made by another physician.
Sec. 171.044. ABORTION OF
UNBORN CHILD OF 20 OR MORE WEEKS POST-FERTILIZATION AGE PROHIBITED. Except
as otherwise provided by Section 171.046, a person may not perform or
induce or attempt to perform or induce an abortion on a woman if it has
been determined, by the physician performing, inducing, or attempting to
perform or induce the abortion or by another physician on whose
determination that physician relies, that the probable post-fertilization
age of the unborn child is 20 or more weeks.
Sec. 171.045. METHOD OF
ABORTION. (a) This section applies only to an abortion authorized under
Section 171.046(a)(1) or (2) in which:
(1) the probable
post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 20 or more weeks; or
(2) the probable
post-fertilization age of the unborn child has not been determined but
could reasonably be 20 or more weeks.
(b) Except as otherwise
provided by Section 171.046(a)(3), a physician performing an abortion under
Subsection (a) shall terminate the pregnancy in the manner that, in the
physician's reasonable medical judgment, provides the best opportunity for
the unborn child to survive.
Sec. 171.046.
EXCEPTIONS. (a) The prohibitions and requirements under Sections 171.043,
171.044, and 171.045(b) do not apply to an abortion performed if there
exists a condition that, in the physician's reasonable medical judgment, so
complicates the medical condition of the woman that, to avert the woman's
death or a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment
of a major bodily function, other than a psychological condition, it
necessitates, as applicable:
(1) the immediate
abortion of her pregnancy without the delay necessary to determine the
probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child;
(2) the abortion of her
pregnancy even though the post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 20
or more weeks; or
(3) the use of a method
of abortion other than a method described by Section 171.045(b).
(b) A physician may not
take an action authorized under Subsection (a) if the risk of death or a
substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function
arises from a claim or diagnosis that the woman will engage in conduct that
may result in her death or in substantial and irreversible physical
impairment of a major bodily function.
(c) The prohibitions and
requirements under Sections 171.043, 171.044, and 171.045(b) do not apply
to an abortion performed on an unborn child who has a severe fetal
abnormality.
Sec. 171.047. PROTECTION
OF PRIVACY IN COURT PROCEEDINGS. (a) Except as otherwise provided by this
section, in a civil or criminal proceeding or action involving an act
prohibited under this subchapter, the identity of the woman on whom an
abortion has been performed or induced or attempted to be performed or
induced is not subject to public disclosure if the woman does not give
consent to disclosure.
(b) Unless the court
makes a ruling under Subsection (c) to allow disclosure of the woman's
identity, the court shall issue orders to the parties, witnesses, and
counsel and shall direct the sealing of the record and exclusion of
individuals from courtrooms or hearing rooms to the extent necessary to
protect the woman's identity from public disclosure.
(c) A court may order the
disclosure of information that is confidential under this section if:
(1) a motion is filed
with the court requesting release of the information and a hearing on that
request;
(2) notice of the hearing
is served on each interested party; and
(3) the court determines
after the hearing and an in camera review that disclosure is essential to
the administration of justice and there is no reasonable alternative to
disclosure.
Sec. 171.048.
CONSTRUCTION OF SUBCHAPTER. (a) This subchapter shall be construed, as a
matter of state law, to be enforceable up to but no further than the
maximum possible extent consistent with federal constitutional
requirements, even if that construction is not readily apparent, as such
constructions are authorized only to the extent necessary to save the subchapter
from judicial invalidation. Judicial reformation of statutory language is
explicitly authorized only to the extent necessary to save the statutory
provision from invalidity.
(b) If any court
determines that a provision of this subchapter is unconstitutionally vague,
the court shall interpret the provision, as a matter of state law, to avoid
the vagueness problem and shall enforce the provision to the maximum
possible extent. If a federal court finds any provision of this subchapter
or its application to any person, group of persons, or circumstances to be
unconstitutionally vague and declines to impose the saving construction
described by this subsection, the Supreme Court of Texas shall provide an
authoritative construction of the objectionable statutory provisions that
avoids the constitutional problems while enforcing the statute's
restrictions to the maximum possible extent, and shall agree to answer any
question certified from a federal appellate court regarding the statute.
(c) A state executive or
administrative official may not decline to enforce this subchapter, or
adopt a construction of this subchapter in a way that narrows its
applicability, based on the official's own beliefs about what the state or
federal constitution requires, unless the official is enjoined by a state
or federal court from enforcing this subchapter.
(d) This subchapter may
not be construed to authorize the prosecution of or a cause of action to be
brought against a woman on whom an abortion is performed or induced or
attempted to be performed or induced in violation of this subchapter.
SUBCHAPTER D.
ABORTION-INDUCING DRUGS
Sec. 171.061.
DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
(1) "Abortion" means the act of using, administering,
prescribing, or otherwise providing an instrument, a drug, a medicine, or
any other substance, device, or means with the intent to terminate a
clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman and with knowledge that the
termination by those means will, with reasonable likelihood, cause the
death of the woman's unborn child.
An act is not an abortion if the act is done with the intent to:
(A) save the life or preserve the health of an unborn child;
(B) remove a dead, unborn child whose death was caused by
spontaneous abortion;
(C) remove an ectopic pregnancy; or
(D) treat a maternal disease or illness for which a prescribed drug,
medicine, or other substance is indicated.
(2)
"Abortion-inducing drug" means a drug, a medicine, or any other
substance, including a regimen of two or more drugs, medicines, or
substances, prescribed, dispensed, or administered with the intent of
terminating a clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman and with
knowledge that the termination will, with reasonable likelihood, cause the
death of the woman's unborn child. The term includes off-label use of
drugs, medicines, or other substances known to have abortion-inducing
properties that are prescribed, dispensed, or administered with the intent
of causing an abortion, including the Mifeprex regimen. The term does not include
a drug, medicine, or other substance that may be known to cause an abortion
but is prescribed, dispensed, or administered for other medical reasons.
(3) "Final printed
label" or "FPL" means the informational document approved by
the United States Food and Drug Administration for an abortion-inducing
drug that:
(A) outlines the protocol
authorized by that agency and agreed to by the drug company applying for
authorization of the drug by that agency; and
(B) delineates how a drug
is to be used according to approval by that agency.
(4) "Gestational
age" means the amount of time that has elapsed since the first day of
a woman's last menstrual period.
(5) "Medical
abortion" means the administration or use of an abortion-inducing drug
to induce an abortion.
(6) "Mifeprex
regimen," "RU-486 regimen," or "RU-486" means the
abortion-inducing drug regimen approved by the United States Food and Drug
Administration that consists of administering mifepristone and misoprostol.
(7) "Physician"
means an individual who is licensed to practice medicine in this state,
including a medical doctor and a doctor of osteopathic medicine.
(8) "Pregnant"
means the female reproductive condition of having an unborn child in a
woman's uterus.
(9) "Unborn
child" means an offspring of human beings from conception until birth.
No
equivalent provision, but see Sec. 171.061(1) above.
Sec. 171.062. ENFORCEMENT
BY TEXAS MEDICAL BOARD.
Sec. 171.063.
DISTRIBUTION OF ABORTION-INDUCING DRUG. (a) A person may not knowingly
give, sell, dispense, administer, provide, or prescribe an
abortion-inducing drug to a pregnant woman for the purpose of inducing an
abortion in the pregnant woman or enabling another person to induce an
abortion in the pregnant woman unless:
(1) the person who gives,
sells, dispenses, administers, provides, or prescribes the
abortion-inducing drug is a physician; and
(2) except as otherwise
provided by Subsection (a-1), the provision, prescription, or
administration of the abortion-inducing drug satisfies the protocol tested
and authorized by the United States Food and Drug Administration as
outlined in the final printed label of the abortion-inducing drug.
(a-1) A person may
provide, prescribe, or administer the abortion-inducing drug in the dosage
amount prescribed by the clinical management guidelines defined by the
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Practice Bulletin as
those guidelines existed on January 1, 2013.
(b) Before the physician
gives, sells, dispenses, administers, provides, or prescribes an
abortion-inducing drug, the physician must examine the pregnant woman and
document, in the woman's medical record, the gestational age and
intrauterine location of the pregnancy.
(c) The physician who
gives, sells, dispenses, administers, provides, or prescribes an
abortion-inducing drug shall provide the pregnant woman with:
(1) a copy of the final
printed label of that abortion-inducing drug; and
(2) a telephone number by
which the pregnant woman may reach the physician, or other health care
personnel employed by the physician or by the facility at which the
abortion was performed with access to the woman's relevant medical records,
24 hours a day to request assistance for any complications that arise from
the administration or use of the drug or ask health-related questions
regarding the administration or use of the drug.
(d) The physician who
gives, sells, dispenses, administers, provides, or prescribes the
abortion-inducing drug, or the physician's agent, must schedule a follow-up
visit for the woman to occur not more than 14 days after the administration
or use of the drug. At the follow-up visit, the physician must:
(1) confirm that the
pregnancy is completely terminated; and
(2) assess the degree of
bleeding.
(e) The physician who
gives, sells, dispenses, administers, provides, or prescribes the
abortion-inducing drug, or the physician's agent, shall make a reasonable
effort to ensure that the woman returns for the scheduled follow-up visit
under Subsection (d). The physician or the physician's agent shall
document a brief description of any effort made to comply with this
subsection, including the date, time, and name of the person making the
effort, in the woman's medical record.
(f) If a physician gives,
sells, dispenses, administers, provides, or prescribes an abortion-inducing
drug to a pregnant woman for the purpose of inducing an abortion as
authorized by this section and the physician knows that the woman
experiences a serious adverse event, as defined by the MedWatch Reporting
System, during or after the administration or use of the drug, the
physician shall report the event to the United States Food and Drug
Administration through the MedWatch Reporting System not later than the
third day after the date the physician learns that the event occurred.
Sec. 171.064.
ADMINISTRATIVE PENALTY.
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No
equivalent provision.
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SECTION 6. Section
164.052(a), Occupations Code, is amended to read as follows:
(a) A physician or an
applicant for a license to practice medicine commits a prohibited practice
if that person:
(1) submits to the board a
false or misleading statement, document, or certificate in an application
for a license;
(2) presents to the board a
license, certificate, or diploma that was illegally or fraudulently
obtained;
(3) commits fraud or
deception in taking or passing an examination;
(4) uses alcohol or drugs in
an intemperate manner that, in the board's opinion, could endanger a
patient's life;
(5) commits unprofessional
or dishonorable conduct that is likely to deceive or defraud the public, as
provided by Section 164.053, or injure the public;
(6) uses an advertising
statement that is false, misleading, or deceptive;
(7) advertises professional
superiority or the performance of professional service in a superior manner
if that advertising is not readily subject to verification;
(8) purchases, sells,
barters, or uses, or offers to purchase, sell, barter, or use, a medical
degree, license, certificate, or diploma, or a transcript of a license,
certificate, or diploma in or incident to an application to the board for a
license to practice medicine;
(9) alters, with fraudulent
intent, a medical license, certificate, or diploma, or a transcript of a
medical license, certificate, or diploma;
(10) uses a medical license,
certificate, or diploma, or a transcript of a medical license, certificate,
or diploma that has been:
(A) fraudulently purchased
or issued;
(B) counterfeited; or
(C) materially altered;
(11) impersonates or acts as
proxy for another person in an examination required by this subtitle for a
medical license;
(12) engages in conduct that
subverts or attempts to subvert an examination process required by this
subtitle for a medical license;
(13) impersonates a
physician or permits another to use the person's license or certificate to
practice medicine in this state;
(14) directly or indirectly
employs a person whose license to practice medicine has been suspended,
canceled, or revoked;
(15) associates in the
practice of medicine with a person:
(A) whose license to
practice medicine has been suspended, canceled, or revoked; or
(B) who has been convicted
of the unlawful practice of medicine in this state or elsewhere;
(16) performs or procures a
criminal abortion, aids or abets in the procuring of a criminal abortion,
attempts to perform or procure a criminal abortion, or attempts to aid or
abet the performance or procurement of a criminal abortion;
(17) directly or indirectly
aids or abets the practice of medicine by a person, partnership,
association, or corporation that is not licensed to practice medicine by
the board;
(18) performs an abortion on
a woman who is pregnant with a viable unborn child during the third
trimester of the pregnancy unless:
(A) the abortion is necessary
to prevent the death of the woman;
(B) the viable unborn child
has a severe, irreversible brain impairment; or
(C) the woman is diagnosed
with a significant likelihood of suffering imminent severe, irreversible
brain damage or imminent severe, irreversible paralysis; [or]
(19) performs an abortion on
an unemancipated minor without the written consent of the child's parent,
managing conservator, or legal guardian or without a court order, as
provided by Section 33.003 or 33.004, Family Code, authorizing the minor to
consent to the abortion, unless the physician concludes that on the basis
of the physician's good faith clinical judgment, a condition exists that
complicates the medical condition of the pregnant minor and necessitates
the immediate abortion of her pregnancy to avert her death or to avoid a
serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function and that
there is insufficient time to obtain the consent of the child's parent,
managing conservator, or legal guardian; or
(20) performs or induces
or attempts to perform or induce an abortion in violation of Subchapter C,
Chapter 171, Health and Safety Code.
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SECTION 6. (a) If some or
all of the provisions of this Act are ever temporarily or permanently
restrained or enjoined by judicial order, all other provisions of Texas law
regulating or restricting abortion shall be enforced as though the
restrained or enjoined provisions had not been adopted; provided, however,
that whenever the temporary or permanent restraining order or injunction is
stayed or dissolved, or otherwise ceases to have effect, the provisions
shall have full force and effect.
(b) Mindful of Leavitt v.
Jane L., 518 U.S. 137 (1996), in which in the context of determining
the severability of a state statute regulating abortion the United States
Supreme Court held that an explicit statement of legislative intent is
controlling, it is the intent of the legislature that every provision,
section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word in this Act, and
every application of the provisions in this Act, are severable from each other.
If any application of any provision in this Act to any person, group of
persons, or circumstances is found by a court to be invalid, the remaining
applications of that provision to all other persons and circumstances shall
be severed and may not be affected. All constitutionally valid
applications of this Act shall be severed from any applications that a
court finds to be invalid, leaving the valid applications in force, because
it is the legislature's intent and priority that the valid applications be
allowed to stand alone. Even if a reviewing court finds a provision of
this Act to impose an undue burden in a large or substantial fraction of
relevant cases, the applications that do not present an undue burden shall
be severed from the remaining provisions and shall remain in force, and
shall be treated as if the legislature had enacted a statute limited to the
persons, group of persons, or circumstances for which the statute's
application does not present an undue burden. The legislature further declares
that it would have passed this Act, and each provision, section,
subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word, and all constitutional
applications of this Act, irrespective of the fact that any provision,
section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word, or applications of
this Act, were to be declared unconstitutional or to represent an undue
burden.
(c) If any provision of this
Act is found by any court to be unconstitutionally vague, then the
applications of that provision that do not present constitutional vagueness
problems shall be severed and remain in force.
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SECTION 10. (a) If some or
all of the provisions of this Act are ever temporarily or permanently
restrained or enjoined by judicial order, all other provisions of Texas law
regulating or restricting abortion shall be enforced as though the
restrained or enjoined provisions had not been adopted; provided, however,
that whenever the temporary or permanent restraining order or injunction is
stayed or dissolved, or otherwise ceases to have effect, the provisions
shall have full force and effect.
(b) Mindful of Leavitt v.
Jane L., 518 U.S. 137 (1996), in which in the context of determining
the severability of a state statute regulating abortion the United States
Supreme Court held that an explicit statement of legislative intent is
controlling, it is the intent of the legislature that every provision,
section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word in this Act, and
every application of the provisions in this Act, are severable from each
other. If any application of any provision in this Act to any person,
group of persons, or circumstances is found by a court to be invalid, the
remaining applications of that provision to all other persons and
circumstances shall be severed and may not be affected. All
constitutionally valid applications of this Act shall be severed from any
applications that a court finds to be invalid, leaving the valid
applications in force, because it is the legislature's intent and priority
that the valid applications be allowed to stand alone. Even if a reviewing
court finds a provision of this Act to impose an undue burden in a large or
substantial fraction of relevant cases, the applications that do not
present an undue burden shall be severed from the remaining provisions and
shall remain in force, and shall be treated as if the legislature had
enacted a statute limited to the persons, group of persons, or
circumstances for which the statute's application does not present an undue
burden. The legislature further declares that it would have passed this
Act, and each provision, section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or
word, and all constitutional applications of this Act, irrespective of the
fact that any provision, section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or
word, or applications of this Act, were to be declared unconstitutional or
to represent an undue burden.
(c)
If Subchapter C, Chapter 171, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act,
prohibiting abortions performed on an unborn child 20 or more weeks after
fertilization is found by any court to be invalid or to impose an undue
burden as applied to any person, group of persons, or circumstances, the
prohibition shall apply to that person or group of persons or circumstances
on the earliest date on which the subchapter can be constitutionally
applied.
(d) If any provision of this
Act is found by any court to be unconstitutionally vague, then the
applications of that provision that do not present constitutional vagueness
problems shall be severed and remain in force.
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