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Bill Emphasizes Women's Right to Know If enacted, beginning on December 1, 2011, HB 854 would require that a woman be given the following information in person or over the phone by “a physician or qualified professional” at least 24 hours before receiving an abortion:
Additionally, information must be provided about the resources available to the mother, should she choose to carry her child to term and either raise the baby or place the baby for adoption. The woman must certify in writing that she received this information at least 24 hours prior to undergoing an abortion procedure. The bill also includes a requirement that an ultrasound be performed at least four hours before an abortion. The ultrasound would have to be available for the woman to view, and the physician or a qualified technician would be required to describe and explain what is being seen on the image. Under current law, minors must have parental consent to obtain an abortion. The bill would also clarify that parental consent must be written and notarized to be considered valid. The bill would also require the State Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to develop and print “objective, nonjudgmental,” and accurate materials to provide women with information on the “anatomical and physiological characteristics” of unborn children throughout gestation, the methods, risks, and side effects of abortion procedures. The DHHS would also be required to develop a series of materials for various areas of the state “designed to inform a woman of public and private agencies and services available to assist her through pregnancy, upon childbirth, and while the child is dependent, including adoption agencies.” All of this required material would have to also be available online. “North Carolina women and unborn children have been waiting decades for the State to recognize the seriousness of the decision process a woman undergoes when considering an abortion, and the injustice of North Carolina’s current uninformed consent policy as it relates to that decision process,” said Bill Brooks, president of the North Carolina Family Policy Council. “Women have a right to be given complete and accurate information about pregnancy and abortion, just as they would for any other medical procedure. We are confident that the Legislature will act swiftly to pass this commonsense bill to protect the right of women to be properly informed about one of the most lasting decisions they will ever make.”Related resources: Copyright © 2012. North Carolina Family Policy Council. All rights reserved.
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