Michigan Informed Consent

for Abortion law

Lolita Sanford
Pamela Williams
Dae-sha Bryant
KaRon Cooper

How was THE MICHIGAN INFORMED CONSENT FOR

ABORTION LAW CREATED?
The law was created by Public Act 133 of 1993. This law requires
that certain information be made available to a woman who is
seeking an abortion at least 24 hours prior to the abortion
procedure. The law is at a state level. The law was amended by
Public Act 345 of 2000 to allow the information to be provided on
the internet solely through this department-sponsored website
www.michigan.gov. Informed consent is a process for getting
permission before conducting a healthcare intervention on a person.

Abstract of the law

Informed Consent for Abortion
S.B. 384 Of 1993
P.A. 133 of 1993
MCL 333. 17015
Sponsor: Sen. Jack Welborn
Effective Date: September 15, 1999
This law requires abortionists to give women information about what abortion
procedure they will have, the name of the doctor, line drawings of the
gestational age of their unborn baby, other options to abortion like adoption,
and at least one day to review the material (24-hour waiting period). A
physician must also confirm the womans pregnancy, provide a written
consent and be informed of her right to withhold or withdraw consent. The
physician must provide the woman with a copy of the signed consent form.
The law was signed by the Governor in 1993, but held up in the Michigan
courts by abortion clinic owners until September 15, 1999 when the law went
into effect.

The Continuation Of the Abstract Law

Informed Consent Revision
H.B. 5548 of 2000
P.A. 345 of 2000
MCL 333.17015
Sponsor: Rep. Janet KuKuk Effective Date: March 28, 2001
This bill prohibits abortion clinics from using their own websites as a means
of complying with the informed consent law. Several abortion clinics were
using their own websites to give their clients scientifically inaccurate
information in regards to the development of their fetus. The bill directs the
Department of Community Health to create a website that enables women to
access the information via the Internet to ensure the information is
accurate. The webpage will be anonymous, but will have a confirmation slip
women will print off to show their doctor they have seen the information.
The required information can also be transmitted via facsimile or registered
mail.

Background Information
A Womens Right to Know: Informed Consent to Abortion Act of 1993
The Informed Consent law took effect on September 15, 1999 after a 5-1/2 year court battle.
Within months evidence began mounting that abortion clinics were doing all they could to
avoid following the spirit and intent of the law.

The court settlement allows women to receive the required written information 24 hours in
advance by means of electronic transmission.

Abortion clinics subsequently set up internet websites, telling women they only need to
click on the website to comply with the informed consent law.

These websites offered no mechanism to ensure that the women actually received the
required information.

Furthermore, some clinics began requiring down payments to make an abortion

appointment when women would come to the clinic receive the required materials.

Abortion Pros

Sometimes life can be really harsh on us. There are times when abortion may
appear as the only option for the betterment. Although a mother may have a
hard time opting for this option she may eventually consider this soul-killing
decision.

Medical emergencies compel a woman to resort to this action. There are

possibilities that her own life might be at risk, if delivering the child.

Some rape victims can be a minor. They wouldnt be mentally or physically

prepared to take care of the newborn baby.

Technologies have enabled disease detection amongst unborn babies. Giving

life to an unhealthy baby and watching it suffer all day and night can be
highly jeopardizing for the family as well as the newborn child.

Even though most pregnant mothers have a hard time choosing whether or
not to get an abortion it is generally safe and has been performed successfully
before

Abortion Cons

Abortions implies denying someone a well deserved life.

A baby is often considered as a Gods gift and it is believed that every living
being has a purpose behind his/her birth.

Having a abortion can carry the risk of not being able to become pregnant
ever again in life.

Abortions is murder.

Abortions can lead to serious health complications, and in some cases the
worst case scenario can be death.

Leads to unwanted memories, which can result into great stress and
depression. Woman experience a feeling of guilt which can last a lifetime.

Most unplanned pregnancies can cause serious mental distress to woman in

the form of depression and guilt.

Infection, sepsis, recurrent miscarriages and rarely death could be the

complications of abortions.

Groups against abortions

National rights to life (protecting life in America since 1968) www.nrlc.org

Operation Rescue www.operationrescue.org

American Right to Life www.americanrtl.org

Pro-life Action League www.prolifeaction.org

Life Dynamics www.lifedynamics.com

Pro-life Action Ministries www.plam.org

Groups that are Pro-Choice

www.plannedparenthood.org

www.cath4choice.org

www.prochoice.org

www.abortionaccess.org

Reproductive Choice www.rcrc.org

www.lifeandlibertyforwomen.org

www.naral.org

Culture factors/Social factors

Social Factors

Social groups, political groups, religious, and pro-life groups.

Cultural Factors

Due to some cultures abortion is not the way to go in any matter.

Buddhism: In Buddhism there is no central authority on ethical matters but

the Dalai Lama has spoken in favor of abortion under certain circumstances.

Christianity: Judeo-Christian tradition going back thousands of years has

always valued human life, including unborn human life.

Hinduism: Hindu scriptures refer to abortion as garha-batta (womb killing)

and the Atharva Veda describes abortionists as the greatest of sinners.

Islam: Islam teaches that life begins at conception and is created by God.

Judaism: The Torah or Jewish law forbids the taking of innocent life and
stresses that human beings are made in the image of God.

Rational Approach

The law requires that certain information be made available to a woman who
is seeking an abortion at least 24 hours prior to the abortion procedure. The
information is designed to provide a woman with accurate and unbiased
information on the procedure she is about to undertake.

Promoting womens autonomy

The fact that informed consent is a process that requires more than simply
the delivery of information; it also requires dialogue and discussion.

If the goal is to ensure that patients have the opportunity to make as fullinformed a decision as possible, physicians should be allowed the best
opportunity to assess and evaluate all of these considerations as they decide
how best to frame the information for the needs of the patient.

They should also be allowed to frame risk in a manner that their experience is
generally most helpful in communicating to patients, even if they do not try
to tailor it specific to the patient.

Political Approach

The politics of reproduction dominate the political landscape now more than
ever.

The court permitted the State to further its legitimate goal of protecting the
life of the unborn by enacting legislation aimed at ensuring a decision that is
mature and informed, even when in doing so the State expresses a preference
for childbirth over abortion.

The court no longer distinguished between disclosure aimed at informing

versus persuading or influencing.

Statues are politically motivated; they require a disclosure of non-medical

information intended to persuade; they target a vulnerable audience; and
they interfere with physicians discretion.

Some states require disclosure of only the negative, as opposed to a full range
of, possible emotional responses to abortions.

In conclusion,
The truth of the matter is that abortion is a very serious issue, and depending on
the person it could or could not heavily impact their lives. When someone
discovers that they are pregnant or their significant other is pregnant it could
turn their life upside down. Then all of sudden they are faced with many
questions and must come up with a lot of life changing answers in a short amount
of time.