Legislature(2003 - 2004)
04/14/2003 01:35 PM Senate HES
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SB 30-ABORTION: INFORMED CONSENT; INFORMATION
CHAIR FRED DYSON announced SB 30 to be up for consideration.
SENATOR LYDA GREEN moved to adopt the committee substitute (CS)
to SB 30, version LS0193\S, Lauterbach, 4/11/03. There were no
objections and it was so ordered.
CHAIR DYSON explained that the CS adopts the Division of Public
Health's suggestion to put updated information on informed
consent on a website where it can be easily downloaded. That
will make it easier for the department to keep up current
addresses of support groups and providers and greatly reduce the
cost. That is the main change. The bill puts in statute that
which is already in regulation requiring informed consent and
gives the option, but does not demand, that the provider put the
website information in his own pamphlet.
DR. BOB JOHNSON, Kodiak, said he is a retired physician who in
his last 10 years of practice performed an average of 70
abortions per year. He explained that he scheduled five visits
for each patient. During the first visit, he determined if the
patient had really investigated other options and felt
comfortable with the decision; the second visit was to inform
the patient about the procedure and possible problems that could
arise and to answer questions. He found that patients expressed
many varying needs and that each one needed to be treated as an
individual. He didn't have a set list of information he felt
required to give to them, because some of them couldn't tolerate
it, some would have been angered by it, some didn't need it and
others had questions that probably wouldn't have been included
in his list. Dictating the requirements of what a person should
be told is a mistake. The deputy commissioner pointed out that
the department doesn't regulate, monitor or license clinics or
doctors offices and that this might produce a situation where
monitoring is necessary.
CHAIR DYSON said that some testifiers indicated that having a
24-hour waiting period would be a great inconvenience. He asked
if he considered it good practice to have first contact with a
client, perform the procedure and put the client back on an
airplane in one day.
DR. JOHNSON replied that he was never faced with that situation,
because Kodiak is the end of the line and they were all there to
begin with. He thought most doctors would like to have a couple
of days with the patient to explore the decision and answer
questions about the procedure.
CHAIR DYSON asked if he thought it is wise to observe the
patient for some period after the procedure to make sure there
aren't complications.
DR. JOHNSON replied about a half hour is all that is necessary
if the patient is in the same community.
CHAIR DYSON asked about patients who fly out to a rural
community.
DR. JOHNSON said the complication rate is extremely low, but he
wouldn't want anyone flying on the same day.
MS. FRANCES CATER, Kodiak, said that SB 30 is unnecessary and
that any ethical doctor would do all those things anyway. It
would be very expensive for DHSS to monitor this program instead
of doing more important things.
MS. PAULINE UTTER, Anchorage resident, opposed SB 30, but said
if it passes, she thinks it should also include information
about how hard it is for the mother to get child support.
MS. ROBIN SMITH, Anchorage resident, said she wants to reduce
the number of abortions, but thought the best way to do that is
to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. She is
disappointed that the governor's budget reduced all state money
for family planning. Alaska has the highest rate of teen
pregnancies and rape in the country.
MS. KATIE BRYSON, Anchorage resident, also opposed SB 30 for all
the aforementioned reasons and added while the intent of the
legislation is to empower women by mandating choice through
information, the language of this bill would make the pamphlet
heavily biased rather than objective. She opined, "It would
serve to intimidate rather than inform."
MS. SOPHIE BUTIGAN, Anchorage resident, opposed SB 30. She
personally finds the 24-hour waiting period biased against lower
income women and women without access to affordable health care.
SENATOR GREEN moved to pass CSSB 30(HES) from committee with
individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal note.
SENATOR DAVIS objected.
A roll call vote was taken. SENATORS GREEN, WILKEN, and DYSON
voted yea; SENATOR DAVIS voted nay; and CSSB 30(HES) moved from
committee.
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