SB6 Alabama 2012 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Gerald H. AllenSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2012

Title

Abortion, physician guidelines prior to administering an abortion-inducing drug, civil and criminal penalties, Abortion-Inducing Drug Safety Act

Summary

SB6 would create the Abortion-Inducing Drug Safety Act to regulate abortion-inducing drugs, requiring in-person physician exams, follow-up, and penalties for violations.

What This Bill Does

If enacted, it would make it unlawful to provide an abortion-inducing drug to a pregnant woman unless she is examined in person by a physician and the drug is used according to FDA-approved protocols. Physicians would have to follow specific guidelines, provide the drug label, arrange an emergency contract, share emergency contact details, and schedule a follow-up visit about 14 days after administration. Violations could lead to criminal penalties (Class C felony) and civil actions (malpractice, disciplinary action, wrongful death), while protecting the pregnant woman from civil penalties. The act defines key terms, asserts no new right to abortion, and references local-funding rules under Amendment 621 with an exemption due to creating a new crime.

Who It Affects

• Pregnant women seeking abortion: must be examined in person and follow the drug protocol; protections include not being criminally penalized and potential civil remedies for injuries or wrongful death claims against providers.
• Physicians: must perform in-person exams, document gestational age and intrauterine location, provide drug labels, arrange emergency coverage, provide emergency contact information, schedule follow-up, and may face criminal and civil penalties for violations.
• Hospitals and medical facilities: must ensure treating physicians have admitting and gynecological/surgical privileges at the designated hospital to handle emergencies related to the abortion-inducing drug.
• Alabama Department of Public Health: enforces definitions, guidelines, and reporting requirements, including adverse-event reporting to FDA and the department.
• Local governments: bill interacts with local-funding provisions; described as exempt from certain local-expenditure requirements because it creates a new crime.

Key Provisions

• Establishes the Abortion-Inducing Drug Safety Act and defines terms such as abortion, abortion-inducing drug, physician, medical abortion, and mifepristone.
• Makes it unlawful to provide a medical abortion without an in-person examination by a physician and adherence to the FDA-tested protocol.
• Specifies physician duties: in-person gestational assessment and location documentation, provision of the drug label, emergency-contract arrangements, emergency contact/hospital details, a 14-day follow-up, and records of compliance efforts.
• Requires physicians to have active admitting privileges and gynecological/surgical privileges at the designated hospital to handle related emergencies.
• Mandates reporting of adverse events to the FDA via MedWatch within three days and to the Alabama Department of Public Health.
• Imposes criminal penalties for violations (Class C felony) and provides civil remedies (malpractice damages, disciplinary action, wrongful-death recovery); protects the pregnant woman from civil liability.
• States there is no created right to abortion and that the act does not legalize abortion; addresses local-funding requirements under Amendment 621 with an exemption due to creating a new crime.
• Effective 90 days after the Governor signs.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 25, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Abortion