HB154 Alabama 2017 Session

This bill would make it unlawful for a physician to perform an abortion on a pregnant woman after a heartbeat has been detected from the unborn child in accordance with the applicable standards of medical care for determining heartbeats of unborn children. This bill would further require a physician to check for a detectable heartbeat prior to performing an abortion

This bill would provide for the definition of abortion for the purposes of this bill as well as certain types of exceptions

This bill would also require written documentation of the procedure used to determine the existence, if any, of a detectable heartbeat in an unborn child and the results thereof

This bill would provide criminal penalties

Amendment 621 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, now appearing as Section 111.05 of the Official Recompilation of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended, prohibits a general law whose purpose or effect would be to require a new or increased expenditure of local funds from becoming effective with regard to a local governmental entity without enactment by a 2/3 vote unless: it comes within one of a number of specified exceptions; it is approved by the affected entity; or the Legislature appropriates funds, or provides a local source of revenue, to the entity for the purpose

The purpose or effect of this bill would be to require a new or increased expenditure of local funds within the meaning of the amendment. However, the bill does not require approval of a local governmental entity or enactment by a 2/3 vote to become effective because it comes within one of the specified exceptions contained in the amendment

To provide for the Fetal Heartbeat Act; to make it unlawful for a physician to perform an abortion on a pregnant woman after a heartbeat has been detected from the unborn child; to provide for the definition of abortion as referenced herein, as well as certain types of exceptions; to require a physician to check for a detectable heartbeat from an unborn child prior to performing an abortion as defined herein; to require written documentation of the procedure used to determine the existence, if any, of a detectable heartbeat in an unborn child and the results thereof; to provide criminal penalties; and in connection therewith would have as its purpose or effect the requirement of a new or increased expenditure of local funds within the meaning of Amendment 621 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, now appearing as Section 111.05 of the Official Recompilation of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended.