Rep. Joyce Chandler Introduces Bill To Streamline Abortion Reporting
Representative Joyce Chandler (R-Grayson) has introduced a bill that proposes two key changes to existing abortion reporting statutes.
House Bill 555 creates a framework for the Juvenile Court and the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to compile and deliver accurate statistics to the Department of Public Health pertaining to minors between the ages of 10 – 17 who seek to have an abortion without notifying their parents. According to a press release sent out by the Georgia Life Alliance earlier today, while the Georgia Code does currently require the communication of this data, the AOC has admitted to not currently gathering this data for years.
HB 555 also streamlines the reporting requirements for every abortion conducted in the State of Georgia. Currently, only physicians who perform abortions in a licensed DCH abortion facility have to report compliance with the Georgia Code 31-9A-6. In addition to requiring the physician to certify that they have given informed consent regarding the abortion at least 24-hours before the abortion, this mandatory report also requires the physician to report that the woman signed a certification indicating that she has received the informed consent.
The press release also quotes Representative Joyce Chandler:
I am honored to fight for these important and reasonable changes to our laws because women deserve complete information when making the life-altering decision to bring a baby to term or end the pregnancy. Requiring all doctors to report they have provided informed consent to women before performing an abortion is good for women’s health in Georgia. Understanding the number of girls who seek an abortion without the knowledge or support of their parents is good for the future physical and emotional health of Georgia’s young women.
The press release further states that according to data obtained from the Georgia Department of Public Health, only 107,000 of 208,000 abortions performed between 2006-2012 were conducted with the doctor certifying they gave the patient the required informed consent.
A few of the other top sponsors of this bill include Rep. Darlene Taylor, Rep. Valerie Clark and Rep. Barbara Sims.
Note: This post has been updated since it was originally posted.
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