The Georgia Senate on Monday amended and approved a bill (HB 555) that would expand reporting requirements for abortion providers, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
The expanded bill now returns to the state House (Torres, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 3/14).
Background
Under current state law, physicians who provide abortion care at licensed abortion clinics are required to report to the state the number of procedures they provide each year (Foody/Phillips, AP/Sacramento Bee, 3/14).
The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Joyce Chandler (R), was originally written to require the state Juvenile Court and Administrative Office of the Courts to track and report statistics on minors who seek a judicial bypass for the parental notification requirement for abortion care (Women's Health Policy Report, 2/18).
During debate, the bill was amended so that all physicians who offer abortion care, including those in private practice, would be required to report to the state how many abortion procedures they complete each year. According to state Sen. Bruce Thompson (R), the bill would not require providers to disclose personal information about a woman seeking abortion care, such as her name.
State lawmakers on Monday also amended the bill to change the annual date by which providers would need to submit their reports from Feb. 28 to March 15 (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 3/14).
Comments
State Sen. Nan Orrock (D) said the measure would have a "chilling effect" on judges who weigh judicial bypass petitions and potentially harm minors seeking an exemption in the courts.
She said, "This is another step to making safe and legal abortion harder and harder to obtain and thereby fueling the illegal abortion industry" (AP/Sacramento Bee, 3/14).
