Montana Code 50-20-106. Informed consent
50-20-106. Informed consent. (1) An abortion may not be performed without the informed consent of the woman upon whom the abortion is to be performed. The informed consent must be received at least 24 hours prior to the abortion and certified prior to or at the time of the abortion.
Terms Used In Montana Code 50-20-106
- Abortion: means the use or prescription of any instrument, medicine, drug, or other substance or device to intentionally terminate the pregnancy of a woman known to be pregnant, with an intention other than to increase the probability of a live birth, to preserve the life or health of the child after live birth, or to remove a dead fetus. See Montana Code 50-20-104
- Department: means the department of public health and human services provided for in 2-15-2201. See Montana Code 50-20-104
- Informed consent: means voluntary consent to an abortion by the woman upon whom the abortion is to be performed only after full disclosure to the woman by:
(a)the physician who is to perform the abortion of the following information:
(i)the particular medical risks associated with the particular abortion procedure to be employed, including, when medically accurate, the risks of infection, hemorrhage, breast cancer, danger to subsequent pregnancies, and infertility;
(ii)the probable gestational age of the unborn child at the time the abortion is to be performed; and
(iii)the medical risks of carrying the child to term;
(b)the physician or an agent of the physician:
(i)that medical assistance benefits may be available for prenatal care, childbirth, and neonatal care;
(ii)that the father is liable to assist in the support of the child, even in instances in which the father has offered to pay for the abortion; and
(iii)that the woman has the right to review the printed materials described in 50-20-304; and
(c)the physician or the agent that the printed materials described in 50-20-304 have been provided by the department and that the materials describe the unborn child and list agencies that offer alternatives to abortion. See Montana Code 50-20-104
- Person: includes a corporation or other entity as well as a natural person. See Montana Code 1-1-201
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201
(2)Informed consent must be certified by a written statement in a form prescribed by the department and signed by the physician and the woman upon whom the abortion is to be performed in which the physician certifies that the physician has made the full disclosure provided in 50-20-104(5) and in which the woman upon whom the abortion is to be performed acknowledges that the disclosures have been made to the woman and that the woman voluntarily consents to the abortion.
(3)If a woman chooses to review the written materials described in 50-20-304, the materials must be provided to the woman at least 24 hours before the abortion or be mailed to the woman by certified mail, with delivery restricted to the addressee, at least 72 hours before the abortion.
(4)The information required in 50-20-104(5)(a) may be provided by telephone without conducting a physical examination or tests of the patient. The information may be based on facts supplied to the physician by the woman and other relevant information that is reasonably available to the physician. The information may not be provided by a tape recording but must be provided during a consultation in which the physician is able to ask questions of the woman and the woman is able to ask questions of the physician. If a physical examination, tests, or the availability of other information subsequently indicates, in the medical judgment of the physician, a revision of information previously provided to the patient, the revised information may be communicated to the patient at any time prior to the performance of the abortion.
(5)The information required in 50-20-104(5)(b) may be provided by a tape recording if provision is made to record or otherwise register specifically whether the woman does or does not choose to review the printed materials.
(6)The informed consent or consent provided for in this section is not required if a licensed physician certifies that the abortion is necessary because of a medical emergency as defined in 50-20-303.
(7)An executive officer, administrative agency, or public employee of the state or of any local governmental body may not issue any order requiring an abortion or coerce any woman to have an abortion. A person may not coerce any woman to have an abortion.
(8)A violation of subsections (1) through (7) is a misdemeanor.