Posts Tagged ‘abortions’

Informed Consent Website Up & Running

November 26th, 2012

Last legislative session the Governor signed HB 2036- which amends state law regarding abortions. Some parts of the law are pending legal challenges, but the parts requiring us to develop a website were unaffected- and our new informed consent site just went up.  The website lists agencies and services that are available to assist women throughout their pregnancy, including information about adoption.  The information is listed to make it easy for women to find local resources.  Many of our public health programs are listed, like WIC, breastfeeding support, and home visiting programs.  The website also includes information describing fetal development and info describing various abortion methods and medical risks associated with the procedures. 

It’s important that providers are aware of the website because the law requires AZ health care providers to give a woman considering an abortion the opportunity to review the information. A “Potential Resources Submission Form” is posted in case agencies are interested in listing additional resources on the site.

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HB 2036: Abortion; Procedures; Informed Consent; Requirements

April 13th, 2012

The Governor signed HB 2036 today- which amends state law regarding abortions. We’ll be responsible for implementing many of the law’s provisions. Our Rules and Medical Licensing teams will be responsible for writing new regulations for the operating procedures at abortion clinics, our Medical Licensing team will be ensuring compliance with the new rules, and our IT and Women’s and Children’s Health teams will be responsible for developing the website required by the law. 

 

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PPAZ v. Humble et.al. Suit Resolved

August 24th, 2011

A recent lawsuit (Planned Parenthood of Arizona  v. Humble et.al.) was resolved this week.  The lawsuit had challenged a new law (signed last legislative session) that (among other changes) requires us to license facilities that perform medication abortions.  We already license and inspect facilities that do surgical abortions- the new law requires that facilities that perform “medication” abortions be licensed as well.  As background- when the original law passed that required the licensing of abortion clinics (in 1999) all abortions were in some way surgical. However, the standards of care have evolved and now there are as many medication abortions as surgical abortions in Arizona. 

Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit a couple of months ago challenging a number of provisions in the new law.  Up until a few days ago it looked like we were headed for a series of depositions and hearings and a protracted dispute.  However, this week they had a change of heart and were motivated to settle. 

The suit was resolved when they agreed to withdraw their Application for Preliminary Injunction if a Stay Order would be placed on a few provisions related to the technical licensing requirements for medical abortions.  The bottom line is that our current rules for abortion clinic licensing were written when all abortions were surgical.  There are a few of our regulations that are important for surgical abortions but aren’t relevant for medication abortions because of the way they’re performed- so we were OK with excusing a handful of the surgical requirements (for facilities that only do medication abortions). The Plaintiffs agreed to drop all of the other former complaints in exchange for the agreement. 

This week’s agreement allows us to begin licensing and regulating any abortion clinics that provide medication abortions by September 13…  and our medical licensing team is poised and ready to add facilities to their list of work.  Thanks go out to Tom Salow and his team as well as our team of nurses in Medical Licensing for moving quickly this week to settle this matter.

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