This bill amends Iowa law concerning abortions, particularly focusing on informed consent, the dispensing of abortion-inducing drugs, and the reporting of complications. It redefines "abortion" to exclude spontaneous terminations of pregnancy, or miscarriages, if not all products of conception are expelled. The bill mandates that physicians conduct in-person examinations of women seeking abortions to screen for coercion or abuse and requires them to provide detailed information about the risks associated with abortion-inducing drugs before prescribing them. Physicians who fail to comply with these requirements may face disciplinary action. Additionally, the bill establishes new definitions for abortion-inducing drugs and complications, prohibits the dispensing of these drugs outside of healthcare settings, and requires reporting of any complications within 30 days.

Moreover, the bill introduces legal recourse for women harmed by abortion-inducing drugs, allowing them or their personal representatives to seek compensatory and punitive damages, as well as statutory damages of $50,000. It ensures the anonymity of the woman involved by mandating the redaction of her identity from legal documents without a court order. The bill also amends reporting requirements for healthcare providers regarding spontaneous terminations of pregnancy, now requiring them to report the use of both mifepristone and misoprostol, and to indicate if these drugs were ingested within 14 days prior to the termination. This aims to improve the accuracy of data collected by the Department of Health and Human Services regarding the use of abortion-inducing drugs.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 146B.1, 146A.1, 144.29A