ATLANTA, GA (PR) - Last week, Representative Joyce Chandler (R-Grayson) introduced House Bill 555 in the Georgia House of Representatives. HB 555 proposes two key changes to existing abortion reporting statutes. First, it creates a statutory framework for the Juvenile Court and the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to compile and deliver accurate statistics to the Department of Public Health regarding 10-17 year-old girls who seek an abortion and who do not want to notify their parents. Title 16 of the Georgia Code already requires the communication of this data, but the AOC has admitted it is not currently gathering data on minors seeking abortions and it has not done so for years.
Second, HB 555 would streamline the reporting requirements for every abortion. Currently, only physicians who perform abortions in a licensed DCH abortion facility have to report compliance with Georgia Code 31-9A-6. The two key components of this mandatory report are (1) the physician certifies he has given informed consent regarding the abortion at least 24-hours before the abortion and (2) the physician reports that the woman signed a certification that she has received the informed consent.
On Monday, Representative Chandler shared, “I am honored to fight for these important and reasonable changes to our laws because women deserve complete information when making the life-altering decision to bring a baby to term or end the pregnancy. Requiring all doctors to report they have provided informed consent to women before performing an abortion is good for women’s health in Georgia. Understanding the number of girls who seek an abortion without the knowledge or support of their parents is good for the future physical and emotional health of Georgia’s young women.”
Georgia Life Alliance Committee has worked tirelessly with Representative Chandler on HB 555. Executor Director Emily Matson had this to say on HB 555: “GLAC supports HB 555. The data we have from the Department of Public Health shows that from 2006-2012, there have been approximately 208,000 abortions performed in Georgia. Of that number, there were only 107,000 abortions in which the doctor certified he gave the patient the required informed consent. This is unacceptable. The reporting requirements are vital to gather important health statistics and ensure women have accurate information in choosing abortion or life.”
Excerpt from the Bill
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55 (1) The number of females to whom the physician provided the information described
56 in paragraph (1) of Code Section 31-9A-3; of that number, the number to whom the
57 information was provided by telephone and the number to whom the information was
58 provided in person; and of each of those numbers, the number to whom the information
59 was provided by a referring physician and the number to whom the information was
60 provided by a physician who is to perform the abortion;
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