Alabama TRAP Law (HB 57)

HB 57 contains multiple abortion restrictions: (1) admitting privileges requirement; (2) telemedicine abortion ban; (3) ambulatory surgical center requirement.

Admitting Privileges

Requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a local—”within the same standard metropolitan statistical area as the facility is located” hospital.

Telemedicine Ban

Bans telemedicine abortion by requiring that the physician providing or prescribing an abortion-inducing drug must first examine the pregnant woman in person and document, in the woman’s medical chart, the gestational age and intrauterine location of the pregnancy before providing or prescribing the abortion-inducing drug.

Ambulatory Surgical Center Requirement

The bill requires abortion clinics to meet standards of ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), even though, according to Guttmacher, ASCs perform procedures that are more invasive and trickier than abortion. HB 57 requires compliance with NPFA 101 Life Safety Code and any other life safety and building standards required by law or rule. The bill grants broad authority to the state department of health to develop medically unjustified regulations applicable to abortion clinics.

STATUS

Companion bill to SB 130.

A federal court blocked enforcement of the admitting privileges requirement pending resolution of litigation. The remaining restrictions were not challenged. (See Planned Parenthood Southeast, Inc. v. Bentley.)

People

Legal Cases

• Planned Parenthood Southeast, Inc. v. Strange