LRB-4544/1
DAK:skg:ch
1995 - 1996 LEGISLATURE
October 4, 1995 - Printed by direction of Senate Chief Clerk.
AB441-engrossed,1,5 1An Act to amend 48.375 (4) (a) 1. and 448.02 (3) (a); to repeal and recreate
246.245 and 253.10; and to create 69.186 (1) (j), 441.07 (1) (f) and 457.26 (2) (gm)
3of the statutes; relating to: expanding requirements for a woman's informed
4consent for performance or inducement of an abortion and for consent to a
5minor's obtaining an abortion and providing a penalty.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Engrossment information:
The text of Engrossed 1995 Assembly Bill 441 consists of the following
documents adopted in the assembly on September 28, 1995: Assembly Substitute
Amendment 1 as affected by Assembly Amendments 19, 21 and 40. The text also
includes the September 19, 1995, chief clerk's corrections to the substitute
amendment.
Content of Engrossed 1995 Assembly Bill 441:
Under current law, before performing an abortion that is otherwise permitted
by law, unless an emergency requires performance of an abortion because
continuation of the pregnancy poses an immediate threat and grave risk to the life
and health of the woman, the attending physician or a person who is assisting the
attending physician must verbally provide the pregnant woman with accurate
information on all of the following:
1. Whether or not the woman is pregnant.
2. The number of weeks that have elapsed from the probable time of conception.
3. The availability of public and private agencies and services to provide birth
control information and to assist the woman during pregnancy and after childbirth,
if the woman chooses not to have an abortion.

4. For minors, the availability of services from a county department of social
services or human services to assist a minor in seeking consent for the abortion or
in petitioning a court for a waiver of the consent requirement.
5. Any particular risks associated with the pregnancy and with the abortion
technique to be employed.
The attending physician or person who is assisting the attending physician may
verbally provide the woman with accurate information on the probable physical
characteristics of the fetus or unborn child at the gestational point of development
of the fetus or unborn child at the time that the abortion is to be performed. After
the required information is provided, the pregnant woman must sign a statement
acknowledging that she has received the information and stating that she consents
to the abortion.
This bill modifies and expands the requirements for obtaining informed
consent prior to the performance of otherwise-lawful abortions and applies the
modified and expanded requirements to both adults and minors who are seeking
abortions. Under the bill, unless a medical emergency (as defined in the bill) exists,
the physician who is to perform or induce the abortion or any other qualified
physician must, at least 24 hours before the abortion is performed or induced, in
person orally inform the woman and, if the woman is a minor and has not obtained
a judicial waiver, the individual who is also giving consent for the abortion for the
minor, of all of the following, in addition to the requirements of current law:
1. The name of the physician who will perform or induce the abortion.
2. The probable anatomical and physiological characteristics of the unborn
child at the time that the information is given.
3. The details of the medical or surgical method that will be used in performing
or inducing the abortion.
4. That fetal ultrasound imaging and auscultation of fetal heart tone services
are available that enable a pregnant woman to view the image or hear the heartbeat
of her unborn child and how the woman may obtain these services if she desires to
do so.
5. That if, in the reasonable medical judgment of the physician, the woman's
unborn child has reached viability, the physician is required to take all steps
necessary under current law to preserve and maintain the life and health of the child.
6. Any other information that a reasonable patient would consider material
and relevant to a decision of whether or not to carry a child to birth or to undergo an
abortion.
7. That the woman may withdraw her consent to have an abortion at any time
before the abortion is performed or induced.
8. That the woman is not required to pay for performance or inducement of the
abortion until at least 24 hours have elapsed after provision of the information.
The bill deletes requirements for provision of information on the availability of
services to assist a minor in seeking consent for the abortion or in petitioning a court
for a waiver of the consent requirement. The bill also modifies the requirement for
the provision of information on the medical risks associated with the abortion to
require mention, if medically applicable, of the risks of infection, psychological

trauma, hemorrhage, endometritis, perforated uterus, incomplete abortion, failed
abortion, danger to subsequent pregnancies and infertility.
In addition, under the bill, at least 24 hours before the abortion is performed
or induced, the physician who is to perform or induce the abortion, another qualified
physician or a qualified person assisting the person (who is required, under the bill,
to be a certified social worker, a physician assistant or a licensed registered nurse)
must in person orally inform the woman and, if the woman is a minor, the individual
who is also giving consent for the abortion for the minor, of all of the following, in
addition to requirements under current law:
1. That benefits for prenatal care, childbirth and neonatal care may be
available under the medical assistance program.
2. That the father of the unborn child must assist in the support of the child,
if born.
3. That the woman has a legal right to continue her pregnancy and keep the
child, place the child with a relative for adoption, place the child in foster care or
petition the court for placement of the child for adoption in the home of a nonrelative.
4. That the woman and, if the woman is a minor, the individual who is also
giving consent for the abortion for the minor have the right to receive and review
certain printed material, provided by the state, free of charge, that describes the
unborn child and lists agencies that offer alternatives to abortion. The physician or
qualified person must physically give current, updated materials to the woman and,
if the woman is a minor and has not obtained a judicial waiver, to the individual who
is also giving consent for the abortion for the minor.
5. That if the woman has received a diagnosis of disability for her unborn child,
that the printed materials contain information on community-based services and
financial assistance programs for children with disabilities and their families,
information on support groups for people with disabilities and parents of children
with disabilities and information on adoption of children with special needs.
6. That if the woman asserts that her pregnancy is the result of sexual assault
or incest, the printed materials contain information on counseling services and
support groups for victims of sexual assault and incest and legal protections
available to the woman and her child if she wishes to oppose establishment of
paternity or to terminate the father's parental rights.
If the woman requests it, the physician or qualified person assisting the
physician must provide the woman with a list that specifies public and private
agencies and services that are available to provide her with birth control
information. The list is distributed by county departments of social services or
human services of counties in which are located hospitals, clinics or facilities in
which abortions are performed.
Under the bill, the information that is required to be provided to the woman
and, if the woman is a minor and has not obtained a judicial waiver, the individual
who is also giving consent for the abortion for the minor must be provided in an
individual setting that protects privacy, maintains the confidentiality of the decision
and ensures that the information received focuses on the woman's individual
circumstances. The woman and, if the woman is a minor and has not obtained a

judicial waiver, the individual who is also giving consent for the abortion for the
minor receiving the information must be provided the opportunity to ask questions
and receive requested information, after which the woman and, if the woman is a
minor and has not obtained a judicial waiver, the individual must certify in writing
that the required or requested information has been provided, in the required
setting, and that any questions have been answered. The physician or qualified
person assisting the physician must place this certification in the woman's medical
record prior to performance or inducement of the abortion.
The bill requires that the department of health and social services (DHSS)
publish certain printed materials in English, Spanish and certain other languages,
distribute the materials to county departments of social services and human services
and upon request, annually review the materials for accuracy and exercise
reasonable diligence in providing materials that are current. The materials include
a listing of services and agencies available to provide ultra sound imaging services,
to assist if the unborn child is diagnosed to have a disability or if the pregnancy is
the result of sexual assault or incest or assist a woman through pregnancy, upon
childbirth and while the child is dependent; pictures or drawings that are designed
to inform the woman of probable anatomical and physiological characteristics of the
unborn child at certain increments of the pregnancy; information on the availability
of certain governmentally funded programs; and a form to certify that required
information is provided. The bill requires DHSS and the county departments to
distribute the materials, upon request, and authorizes the charging of a fee, not to
exceed the actual costs of preparation and distribution, for them. Under the bill,
physicians who intend to perform or induce an abortion, or other qualified physicians
who believe they may have a patient for whom the materials must be provided, must
request a reasonably adequate number of these materials from DHSS or a county
department. Other persons may request a reasonably adequate number of these
materials. DHSS also is authorized, under the bill, to maintain a 24-hour toll-free
telephone service to provide the listing of available agencies in the locality of the
caller, a description of the services that the agencies offer and the manner in which
they may be contacted.
The bill creates a forfeiture and provides civil remedies for violation of the
informed consent requirements. The bill also creates provisions that include
violations of the informed consent requirements as bases for allegations of
unprofessional conduct for licensed physicians, licensed registered nurses and
certified social workers.
Lastly, the bill expands the types of information required to be reported to
DHSS concerning induced abortions to include, for a minor, whether consent for the
minor's abortion was obtained and, if so, the relationship to the minor of the
individual who provided consent or if not, on what basis the abortion was performed.
Current U.S. supreme court opinion:
In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. ...., 112 S.Ct. 2791 (1992), 3 justices
of the U.S. supreme court delivered a plurality opinion that specifically overruled the
court's previous holding in City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, 462
U.S. 416, 103 S.Ct. 2481 (1983) and found that a 24-hour waiting period prior to

performance of an abortion does not constitute an undue burden on a woman's
procurement of an abortion. Casey, at 2825, 2826. With respect to the informed
consent requirement of the Pennsylvania law in question, the 3 justices found that
"... requiring that the woman be informed of the availability of information relating
to fetal development and the assistance available should she decide to carry the
pregnancy to full term is a reasonable measure to insure an informed choice ...." Id.,
at 2824. They stated, "In attempting to ensure that a woman apprehend the full
consequences of her decision, the State furthers the legitimate purpose of reducing
the risk that a woman may elect an abortion, only to discover later, with devastating
psychological consequences, that her decision was not fully informed. If the
information the State requires to be made available to the woman is truthful and not
misleading, the requirement may be permissible." Id., at 2823. (The Pennsylvania
law reviewed in Casey required that the physician who is to perform the abortion, the
referring physician or a qualified physician assistant, health care practitioner,
technician or social worker orally inform the pregnant woman about the proposed
procedure, medical risks, the probable gestational age of the unborn child,
alternatives to abortion, medical assistance benefits and the liability of the father for
child support and that the Pennsylvania department publishes and will provide to
her, free of charge, if she chooses to review it, printed materials designed to inform
the woman of the probable anatomical and physiological characteristics of the
unborn child at 2-week gestational increments from fertilization to full term.) The
3 justices noted that the Pennsylvania statute requiring provision of information "...
does not require a physician to comply with the informed consent provisions `if he or
she can demonstrate by a preponderance of the evidence, that he or she reasonably
believed that furnishing the information would have resulted in a severely adverse
effect on the physical or mental health of the patient ...' " and "... does not prevent the
physician from exercising his or her medical judgment." Id., at 2824.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
AB441-engrossed, s. 1 1Section 1. 46.245 of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:
AB441-engrossed,5,3 246.245 Information for certain pregnant women. A county department
3under s. 46.215, 46.22 or 46.23 shall do all of the following:
AB441-engrossed,6,5 4(1) Upon request, distribute the materials described under s. 253.10 (3) (d), as
5prepared and distributed by the department. The county department may charge
6a fee not to exceed the actual cost of preparation and distribution of the materials.
7A physician who intends to perform or induce an abortion or another qualified

1physician, as defined in s. 253.10 (2) (g), who reasonably believes that he or she might
2have a patient for whom the information under s. 253.10 (3) (d) is required to be
3given, shall request a reasonably adequate number of the materials from the county
4department under this subsection or from the department under s. 253.10 (3) (d). An
5individual may request a reasonably adequate number of the materials.
AB441-engrossed,6,8 6(2) In any county in which a hospital, clinic or other facility in which abortions
7are performed is located, prepare the list specified under s. 253.10 (3) (cm) and
8distribute the list to each of those hospitals, clinics or other facilities.
AB441-engrossed, s. 2 9Section 2. 48.375 (4) (a) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
AB441-engrossed,6,1910 48.375 (4) (a) 1. The person or the person's agent has, either directly or through
11a referring physician or his or her agent, received and made part of the minor's
12medical record, under the requirements of s. 253.10, the voluntary and informed
13written consent of the minor and the voluntary and informed written consent of one
14of her parents; or of the minor's guardian or legal custodian, if one has been
15appointed; or of an adult family member of the minor; or of one of the minor's foster
16parents or treatment foster parents, if the minor has been placed in a foster home
17or treatment foster home and the minor's parent has signed a waiver granting the
18department, a county department, the foster parent or the treatment foster parent
19the authority to consent to medical services or treatment on behalf of the minor.
AB441-engrossed, s. 3 20Section 3. 69.186 (1) (j) of the statutes is created to read:
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