Washington Parental Notification Requirement for Abortion (HB 1493)

HB 1493 would require physicians to notify a parent or guardian of a minor seeking an abortion 48 hours prior to the procedure, unless there was a medical emergency.  If both parents have died or are otherwise unavailable to the physician within at least 24 hours, notification of the woman’s guardian is sufficient.  The patient may seek judicial bypass if she wishes to not allow the notification of a parent or guardian.  After a motion and hearing, a court may authorize a physician to perform an abortion without parental notification if they find the patient is “mature and capable of giving informed consent,” or if they find it is in the best interest of the woman.

Any physician who performs an abortion on a minor without parental or guardian notification would be guilty of unprofessional conduct and his or her medical and surgery license would be suspended for a period of at least 3 months.

STATUS

Reintroduced and retained in present status on April 29, 2015 which means it will be live in the next legislative session.

HB 1493 is similar to SB 5289, except that bill contains a reporting requirement.

People