Arizona Laws 36-2159. Abortion; gestational age; violation; classification; unprofessional conduct; civil relief; statute of limitations
A. Except in a medical emergency, a person shall not perform, induce or attempt to perform or induce an abortion unless the physician or the referring physician has first made a determination of the probable gestational age of the unborn child. In making that determination, the physician or referring physician shall make any inquiries of the pregnant woman and perform or cause to be performed all medical examinations, imaging studies and tests as a reasonably prudent physician in the community, knowledgeable about the medical facts and conditions of both the woman and the unborn child involved, would consider necessary to perform and consider in making an accurate diagnosis with respect to gestational age.
Attorney's Note
Under the Arizona Laws, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 misdemeanor | up to 6 months | up to $2,500 |
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 36-2159
- Abortion: means the use of any means to terminate the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman with knowledge that the termination by those means will cause, with reasonable likelihood, the death of the unborn child. See Arizona Laws 36-2151
- Action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Gestational age: means the age of the unborn child as calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period of the pregnant woman. See Arizona Laws 36-2151
- Medical emergency: means a condition that, on the basis of the physician's good faith clinical judgment, so complicates the medical condition of a pregnant woman as to necessitate the immediate abortion of her pregnancy to avert her death or for which a delay will create serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function. See Arizona Laws 36-2151
- Person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association or society, as well as a natural person. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Physician: means a person who is licensed pursuant to Title 32, Chapter 13 or 17. See Arizona Laws 36-2151
- pregnancy: means a female reproductive condition of having a developing unborn child in the body and that begins with conception. See Arizona Laws 36-2151
- Probable gestational age: means the gestational age of the unborn child at the time the abortion is planned to be performed and as determined with reasonable probability by the attending physician. See Arizona Laws 36-2151
- Unborn child: means the offspring of human beings from conception until birth. See Arizona Laws 36-2151
B. Except in a medical emergency, a person shall not knowingly perform, induce or attempt to perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman if the probable gestational age of her unborn child has been determined to be at least twenty weeks.
C. A person who knowingly violates this section commits a class 1 misdemeanor.
D. A physician who knowingly violates this section commits an act of unprofessional conduct and is subject to license suspension or revocation pursuant to Title 32, Chapter 13 or 17.
E. In addition to other remedies available under the common or statutory law of this state, any of the following individuals may file a civil action to obtain appropriate relief for a violation of this section:
1. A woman on whom an abortion has been performed in violation of this section.
2. The father of the unborn child if the father is married to the mother at the time she received the abortion, unless the pregnancy resulted from the father’s criminal conduct.
3. The maternal grandparents of the unborn child if the mother was not at least eighteen years of age at the time of the abortion, unless the pregnancy resulted from either of the maternal grandparent’s criminal conduct.
F. A civil action filed pursuant to subsection E of this section shall be brought in the superior court in the county in which the woman on whom the abortion was performed resides. Relief pursuant to this subsection includes the following:
1. Money damages for all psychological, emotional and physical injuries resulting from the violation of this section.
2. Statutory damages in an amount equal to five thousand dollars or three times the cost of the abortion, whichever is greater.
3. Reasonable attorney fees and costs.
G. A civil action brought pursuant to this section must be initiated within six years after the violation occurred.
H. A woman on whom an abortion is performed or induced in violation of this section may not be prosecuted under this section or for conspiracy to commit a violation of this section.