North Carolina Act Amending the Woman’s Right to Know Act (SB 308)

SB 308 would have amended the Woman’s Right to Know Act, which requires, among other things, a 72-hour waiting period and an ultrasound before consent to an abortion will be considered voluntary and informed.

TRAP Provisions

• Possible Telemedicine Ban: Except in cases of medical emergency, the bill would have required the physician performing the abortion to inform the patient that the physician must be physically present during the procedure and on the premises immediately available to the patient while the patient is recovering from the procedure and until the patient leaves the premises. This information would have been required to be relayed to the patient 24 hours before the abortion.

The bill is unclear as to whether this provision applies to surgical and medication abortion. If applied to medication abortion, the bill would have banned telemedicine.

• Admitting Privileges: The bill also would have required abortion providers to have admitting privileges to a hospital located within 30 miles of where the abortion is performed.

Informed Consent

The bill would have required the Department of Health to make available on the State Web site a list of resources the woman may contact for assistance upon receiving information from the physician performing the ultrasound that the unborn child may have a disability or serious abnormality.

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People