Physicians would have to be physically present when overseeing chemical abortions under a bill that passed the Louisiana Senate Monday. Senate Bill 90, by Sen. Fred Mills, would prohibit so-called "telemedicine" procedures, in which a doctor uses Internet services such as Skype to oversee the administration of abortion drugs to a patient.
The bill passed 32-2, with only Sens. Ed Murray and Karen Carter Peterson voting against it. Both senators are Democrats from New Orleans.
If the bill, which now heads to House committees, becomes law, a doctor who has completed a residency in obstetrics or gynecology would have to be in the room for any abortion procedure. Otherwise, the doctor overseeing the abortion could be fined $1,000, imprisoned for two years or both for each violation.
Sen. Fred Mills, R-St. Martinville The measure was designed specifically with RU-486, a drug that can be used for abortion up to about nine weeks of pregnancy, in mind, Mills, R-St. Martinville, said. U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines call for a physician to be present when the drug is used, Mills said.
The ban would not interfere with the purchase of the "morning after pill," which can prevent pregnancy if taken within days of sexual activity and is available at pharmacies, he said.
SB 90 passed a Senate committee last week.
The issue of whether a doctor must be present during an abortion received little debate in the Senate. Instead, the discussion revolved around language in the bill that would allow people other than the pregnant woman to bring malpractice suits if a doctor was not present.
Initially, the bill would have allowed the father of the fetus or the pregnant woman's parents to bring malpractice suits if she declined to do so. However, that language was stripped by an amendment before the bill was passed.
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