Text: HF02097                           Text: HF02099
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House File 2098

Partial Bill History

Bill Text

PAG LIN
  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  707.8A  PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION
  1  2 PROHIBITED – EXCEPTIONS – PENALTIES.
  1  3    1.  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise
  1  4 requires:
  1  5    a.  "Abortion" means abortion as defined in section 146.1.
  1  6    b.  "Partial-birth abortion" means an abortion in which a
  1  7 person partially vaginally delivers a living fetus before
  1  8 killing the fetus and completing the delivery.
  1  9    c.  "Vaginally delivers a living fetus before killing the
  1 10 fetus" means deliberately and intentionally delivering into
  1 11 the vagina a living fetus or a substantial portion of a living
  1 12 fetus for the purpose of performing a procedure the person
  1 13 knows will kill the fetus, and then killing the fetus.
  1 14    2.  A person shall not knowingly perform or attempt to
  1 15 perform a partial-birth abortion.  This prohibition shall not
  1 16 apply to a partial-birth abortion that is necessary to prevent
  1 17 the death of the mother whose life is endangered by a physical
  1 18 disorder, physical illness, or physical injury, if no other
  1 19 medical procedure will prevent the death of the mother.
  1 20    3.  This section shall not be construed to create a right
  1 21 to an abortion.
  1 22    4.  a.  The mother of the fetus, the father of the fetus,
  1 23 or if the mother is less than eighteen years of age at the
  1 24 time of the partial-birth abortion, a maternal grandparent of
  1 25 the fetus, may bring an action against a person violating
  1 26 subsection 2 to obtain appropriate relief, unless the
  1 27 pregnancy resulted from the plaintiff's criminal conduct or
  1 28 the plaintiff consented to the partial-birth abortion.
  1 29    b.  In an action brought under this subsection, appropriate
  1 30 relief may include any of the following:
  1 31    (1)  Statutory damages which are equal to three times the
  1 32 cost of the partial-birth abortion.
  1 33    (2)  Compensatory damages for all injuries, psychological
  1 34 and physical, resulting from violation of this section.
  1 35    5.  A person who violates subsection 2 is guilty of a class
  2  1 "C" felony.
  2  2    6.  A mother upon whom a partial-birth abortion is
  2  3 performed shall not be prosecuted for violation of subsection
  2  4 2 or for conspiracy to violate subsection 2.
  2  5    7.  a.  A licensed physician subject to the authority of
  2  6 the state board of medical examiners who is accused of a
  2  7 violation of subsection 2 may seek a hearing before the board
  2  8 on whether the physician's conduct was necessary to prevent
  2  9 the death of the mother whose life was endangered by a
  2 10 physical disorder, physical illness, or physical injury.
  2 11    b.  The board's findings concerning the physician's conduct
  2 12 are admissible at the criminal trial of the physician.  Upon a
  2 13 motion of the physician, the court shall delay the beginning
  2 14 of the trial for not more than thirty days to permit the
  2 15 hearing before the board of medical examiners to take place.  
  2 16                           EXPLANATION
  2 17    This bill prohibits a person from performing a partial-
  2 18 birth abortion.  Notwithstanding the prohibition, the bill
  2 19 provides that a person may perform a partial-birth abortion,
  2 20 if the partial-birth abortion is necessary to prevent the
  2 21 death of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical
  2 22 disorder, physical illness, or physical injury and no other
  2 23 medical procedure will prevent the death of the mother.
  2 24    The bill defines "abortion", "partial-birth abortion", and
  2 25 "vaginally delivers a living fetus before killing the fetus"
  2 26 for the purposes of the bill.  The bill also provides that the
  2 27 provisions in the bill are not to be construed to create a
  2 28 right to an abortion.
  2 29    The bill provides that the mother, the father of the fetus,
  2 30 or, if the mother is less than 18 years of age at the time of
  2 31 the performance of the partial-birth abortion, a maternal
  2 32 grandparent of the fetus may bring a civil action against a
  2 33 person violating the criminal provisions of the bill for
  2 34 relief which includes statutory and compensatory damages.
  2 35    A person who performs a partial-birth abortion in violation
  3  1 of the bill is guilty of a class "C" felony which carries a
  3  2 maximum sentence of confinement not to exceed 10 years and a
  3  3 fine of at least $500 but not to exceed $10,000.
  3  4    If a licensed physician subject to the authority of the
  3  5 board of medical examiners is accused of an offense under the
  3  6 bill, the licensed physician may seek a hearing from the board
  3  7 as to whether the physician's conduct was necessary in
  3  8 preventing the mother's death.  Upon the motion of an accused
  3  9 licensed physician, the court is to delay the beginning of a
  3 10 criminal trial for 30 days to permit the hearing before the
  3 11 board.
  3 12    The bill excludes the mother upon whom a partial-birth
  3 13 abortion is performed from prosecution for violation of the
  3 14 bill, or for conspiracy to violate the bill.  
  3 15 LSB 3228YH 77
  3 16 pf/cf/24.2
     

Text: HF02097                           Text: HF02099
Text: HF02000 - HF02099                 Text: HF Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index

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