Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote on a motion to declare inexpedient to legislate a bill that requires a woman to undergo medical and psychological screenings prior to having an abortion to identify the presence of any risk factors or any pressures to consent to the abortion.

Highlights:

- Requires the individual performing the evaluation to be a licensed physician, psychologist, social worker, professional counselor, or registered nurse (Sec. 1). - Requires the individual performing the evaluation to inform the patient of the complications associated with abortion stemming from the risk factors identified (Sec. 1). - Requires the individual performing the evaluation, if risk factors are identified, to include a written statement certifying that the patient understands and appreciates the significance of the risk factors discussed (Sec. 1). - Waives the medical and psychological screening requirements if a medical emergency exists, meaning the abortion is necessary to avoid death or irreversible impairment of major bodily functions (Sec. 1). - Requires physicians who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at an accessible hospital for medical emergencies (Sec. 1). - Requires clinics and physicians who perform ten or more abortions per year to have proof of insurance coverage for malpractice, negligence, and battery in an amount not less than $2 million per incident (Sec. 1). - Entitles patients or their survivors to file a civil action based on a failure to perform the required medical and psychological screenings by no later than two years after the abortion was performed, or two years after the patients death in the case of a patient dying within one year of the abortion (Sec. 1). - Entitles patients or their survivors to $10,000 in compensation for each failure to perform medical and psychological screenings (Sec. 1). - Entitles patients to file a civil action for the wrongful death of their unborn child, whether or not the unborn child had reached viability, if she can prove that the abortion provider knew or should have known that her consent was either not informed or not fully voluntary (Sec. 1). - Classifies the performing of an abortion by an individual who is not a licensed physician as a form of battery or reckless endangerment and grounds for a civil action in which the plaintiff, upon establishing as a finding or fact or by preponderance of evidence, will be awarded a settlement not less than $800,000 (Sec. 1). - Classifies the assisting of self-induced abortion techniques as a form of battery or reckless endangerment and grounds for a civil action in which the plaintiff, upon establishing as a finding or fact or by preponderance of evidence, will be awarded a settlement not less than $400,000 (Sec. 1).

Full Bill Text