This bill would make it unlawful for a physician to perform an abortion on a pregnant woman after a heartbeat has been detected from the unborn child in accordance with the applicable standards of medical care for determining heartbeats of unborn children. This bill would further require a physician to check for a detectable heartbeat prior to performing an abortion.
This bill provides for the definition of abortion for the purposes of this bill, as well as certain types of exceptions.
This bill also requires written documentation of the procedure used to determine the existence, if any, of a detectable heartbeat in an unborn child and the results thereof.
This bill would provide criminal penalties.
Amendment 621 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, now appearing as Section 111.05 of the Official Recompilation of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended, prohibits a general law whose purpose or effect would be to require a new or increased expenditure of local funds from becoming effective with regard to a local governmental entity without enactment by a 2/3 vote unless: it comes within one of a number of specified exceptions; it is approved by the affected entity; or the Legislature appropriates funds, or provides a local source of revenue, to the entity for the purpose.
The purpose or effect of this bill would be to require a new or increased expenditure of local funds within the meaning of the amendment. However, the bill does not require approval of a local governmental entity or enactment by a 2/3 vote to become effective because it comes within one of the specified exceptions contained in the amendment.
Pending third reading on day 29 Favorable from Health
Read for the second time and placed on the calendar
Read for the first time and referred to the Senate committee on Health
Engrossed
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass adopted Roll Call 505
Hammon motion to Previous Question adopted Roll Call 504
McClurkin motion to Table adopted Roll Call 503
Melton Amendment Offered
Motion to Adopt adopted Roll Call 502
McClurkin Amendment Offered
McClurkin motion to Table adopted Roll Call 501
Health Amendment Offered
Third Reading Passed
Read for the second time and placed on the calendar 1 amendment
Read for the first time and referred to the House of Representatives committee on Health
Source: Alabama Legislature