Arkansas Abortion Complications Reporting Requirements (SB 3)

SB 3 requires physicians and health-care facilities to file a report within three days to the health department regarding each individual under their care who has been diagnosed or treated for a complication that may be the result of an abortion.

Any of the following would be considered an abortion complication:

• shock;
• uterine perforation;
• cervical laceration;
• hemorrhage;
• aspiration or allergic response;
• infection;
• sepsis;
• death;
• incomplete abortion;
• damage to the uterus; and
• an infant born alive after an abortion procedure.

Each report of a complication must contain the following information:

• the date of the abortion that may have caused the complication;
• the type of abortion that may have caused the complication;
• the gestational age of the fetus at the time of the abortion;
• the name and type of health-care facility in which the abortion was performed;
• the date the abortion complication was diagnosed or treated;
• the name and type of any health-care facility (other than the reporting facility) in which the abortion complication was diagnosed or treated;
• a description of the complication;
• the patient’s year of birth, race, marital status, state of residence, and county of residence;
• the date of the first day of the patient’s menstrual period that occurred before the date of the abortion;
• the number of previous live births of the patient; and
• the number of previous induced abortions of the patient.

A physician or health-care facility that violates this provision would be charged $500 for each violation. After three separate violations, the physician or health-care facility may have their license revoked.

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Latest Action

11/15/18 – Prefiled.

1/14/19 – Introduced; referred to Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee.

3/6/19 – Passed senate committee.

3/7/19 – Passed the Senate by a 28-6 vote.

3/27/19 – Passed the House by a 75-13 vote.

4/2/19 – Signed into law by Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

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People