A02533 Summary:

BILL NOA02533
 
SAME ASSAME AS S02286
 
SPONSORCrespo
 
COSPNSR
 
MLTSPNSRKatz
 
Add S230-e, Pub Health L
 
Establishes a cause of action for damages against a person who attempts or performs a sex selective abortion.
Go to top    

A02533 Actions:

BILL NOA02533
 
01/16/2013referred to health
01/08/2014referred to health
Go to top

A02533 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          2533
 
                               2013-2014 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                    January 16, 2013
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced by M. of A. CRESPO -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Health
 
        AN  ACT  to  amend  the public health law, in relation to establishing a
          cause of action for damages against a person who attempts or  performs
          a sex selective abortion
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-

        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding  a  new  section
     2  230-e to read as follows:
     3    §  230-e.  Prohibition  of  sex selective abortion.   1. The following
     4  words or phrases, as used in this section shall have the following mean-
     5  ings:
     6    (a) "Abortion" means  the  intentional  use  or  prescription  of  any
     7  instrument, medicine, drug or any other substance or device or method to
     8  terminate  the life of an unborn child, or to terminate the pregnancy of
     9  a woman known to be pregnant with an intention other than to  produce  a
    10  live  birth  and  preserve  the  life and health of the child after live
    11  birth, or to remove an ectopic pregnancy, or to  remove  a  dead  unborn

    12  child  who died as the result of natural causes, accidental trauma, or a
    13  criminal assault on the pregnant woman.
    14    (b) "Attempt to perform an  abortion"  means  to  do  or  omit  to  do
    15  anything that, under the circumstances as the actor believes them to be,
    16  is  an  act  or  omission constituting a substantial step in a course of
    17  conduct planned to culminate in  an  abortion.  Such  substantial  steps
    18  include,  but  are  not  limited  to: (i) agreeing with an individual to
    19  perform an abortion on that individual or on some other person,  whether
    20  or  not the term "abortion" is used in the agreement, and whether or not
    21  the agreement is contingent on another factor such as receipt of payment

    22  or a determination of pregnancy; and (ii) scheduling or planning a  time
    23  to  perform  an  abortion  on  an  individual,  whether  or not the term
    24  "abortion" is used, and whether or not the performance is contingent  on
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00903-01-3

        A. 2533                             2
 
     1  another factor such as receipt of payment or a determination of pregnan-
     2  cy.  This  definition shall not be construed to require that an abortion
     3  procedure actually be initiated for an attempt to occur.
     4    (c)  "Physician"  means  a  doctor  of  medicine or osteopathy legally

     5  authorized to practice medicine in the state.
     6    2. No person shall knowingly  or  recklessly  perform  or  attempt  to
     7  perform  an  abortion with knowledge that the pregnant female is seeking
     8  the abortion solely on account of the sex of the unborn  child.  Nothing
     9  in  this  section  shall be construed to proscribe the performance of an
    10  abortion because the unborn child has a genetic disorder  that  is  sex-
    11  linked.
    12    3.  Any  person upon whom an abortion was performed or attempted to be
    13  performed in violation of subdivision two of this section, the father of
    14  the unborn child, or the grandparent of the unborn child may maintain an
    15  action against the person who performed  or  attempted  to  perform  the

    16  abortion.  The person who performed or attempted to perform the abortion
    17  may be liable in such an action for punitive damages not to  exceed  ten
    18  thousand  dollars  and  for damages the plaintiff actually sustained. No
    19  plaintiff shall be estopped from recovery  in  such  an  action  on  the
    20  ground  that  either  the plaintiff or the person upon whom the abortion
    21  was performed gave consent to the abortion.
    22    4. An abortion provider  who  knowingly  or  recklessly  performed  or
    23  attempted  to  perform an abortion in violation of this section shall be
    24  considered to have engaged  in  unprofessional  conduct  for  which  the
    25  certificate  or  license of the provider to provide health care services

    26  in this state shall be suspended or  revoked  by  the  state  board  for
    27  professional medical conduct pursuant to section two hundred thirty-a of
    28  this title.
    29    5.  In  every  proceeding or action instituted under this section, the
    30  anonymity of any female upon whom an abortion is performed or  attempted
    31  shall  be preserved unless she gives her consent to such disclosure. The
    32  court, upon motion or sua sponte, shall issue  orders  to  the  parties,
    33  witnesses  and  counsel,  and shall direct the sealing of the record and
    34  exclusion of individuals from courtrooms or hearing rooms to the  extent
    35  necessary  to safeguard the female's identity from public disclosure. In
    36  the absence of written consent of the female upon whom an  abortion  has

    37  been  performed  or  attempted,  any  plaintiff who institutes an action
    38  under subdivision three of this section shall do so under a pseudonym.
    39    § 2. If any provision, word, phrase or  clause  of  this  act  or  the
    40  application  thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, such
    41  invalidity shall not affect the provisions, words,  phrases,  clause  or
    42  applications  of  this act which can be given effect without the invalid
    43  provision, word, phrase, clause or application, and  to  this  end,  the
    44  provisions,  words,  phrases, and clauses of this act are declared to be
    45  severable. If the application of this act to  the  period  of  pregnancy
    46  prior  to  viability  is  held  invalid,  then such invalidity shall not
    47  affect its application to the period of pregnancy subsequent to  viabil-
    48  ity.
    49    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

Go to top