| SB 0738 | Modifies laws relating to abortion services |
| Sponsor: | Loudon | |||
| LR Number: | 3138S.04C | Fiscal Note: | 3138-04 | |
| Committee: | Judiciary and Civil & Criminal Jurisprudence | |||
| Last Action: | 04/01/04 - SA 2 to SCS S offered & withdrawn (Bray) | Journal page: | S821-822 | |
| Title: | SCS SBs 738 & 790 | |||
| Effective Date: | August 28, 2004 | |||
SCS/SBs 738 & 790 - This act provides that no person shall intentionally cause, aid or assist a minor to obtain an abortion without the required informed consent. Any person who has sufficient contact with this state and violates this act shall be civilly liable to the minor and to the person required to the required informed consent. A court may award damages, including attorney's fees, litigation costs and court costs, to any person adversely affected by a violation of this act. The court may include compensation for emotional injury even if there is no personal presence at the scene of any act or event. A court may also award punitive damages.
It is not a defense to a claim brought pursuant to this act that the abortion was performed in accordance with the required consent of the state or place where the abortion was performed. An unemancipated minor does not have the capacity to consent to any action of this act or to Section 188.028, RSMo.
A court may enjoin conduct in violation of this act upon a petition by the Attorney General, a prosecuting or circuit attorney, or a person adversely affected or who may be adversely affected. In order to enjoin such conduct, there must be a showing that such conduct is reasonably anticipated to occur in the future or has occurred in the past and it is not unreasonable to expect that such conduct will be repeated.
This act modifies the penalty for physicians who perform abortions. Currently, Section 188.080, RSMo, prohibits anyone but licensed physicians from performing abortions and imposes a penalty. This act modifies the penalty to state that any physician who does not have clinical privileges to provide OB/GYN care at a hospital located within 30 miles of the location at which the abortion is performed is guilty of a Class B felony.
The act also modifies the definition of "ambulatory surgical center" in Section 197.200, RSMo, to include "any establishment operated for the purpose of performing or inducing any second or third trimester abortions or at least five or more first trimester abortions per month".
This act is similar to SS/SB 34 (2003) and SB 70 (2003).
JIM ERTLE