New abortion laws to take effect in July

The following new laws concerning abortions are scheduled to take effect in or about late July in Arkansas:

■ Act 180 triggers a statewide ban on all abortions, except those to save the life of the mother, if the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, Roe v. Wade, is overturned or if an amendment to the U.S. Constitution is adopted that restores the authority to prohibit abortion to states. It subjects doctors performing banned abortions to a prison term of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $100,000.

■ Act 493 bans abortion at 18 weeks of pregnancy except in cases of life endangerment, severe physical health condition, rape or incest, and requires reporting for abortions performed after 18 weeks. ■ Act 522 amends abortion counseling

requirements to include information ■ on the potential ability to reverse a medication abortion if the second pill in a two-dose regimen hasn’t been taken.

■ Act 619 bans post-viability abortion due to a Down syndrome diagnosis, test result or other reason to believe the fetus has Down syndrome, except in cases of rape or incest.

■ Act 620 adds requirements for reporting to the state Department of Health all abortion complications. The department will publish an annual report aggregating each abortion complication.

■ Act 700 requires abortion providers to be board-certified or board-eligible in obstetrics and gynecology, and amends the definition of viability to include the reasonable likelihood of sustained survival with or without artificial life support.

Act 801 changes the “informed consent” waiting period from at least 48 hours to at least 72 hours before a scheduled abortion. A physician must inform the woman orally and in person, and provide detailed information about the kind of abortion to be performed, the medical risks involved and alternatives to abortion.

■ Act 953 requires a woman seeking an abortion due to a lethal fetal anomaly to receive information about perinatal palliative care, or available support should she carry the fetus to term, at least 72 hours before the procedure. This doesn’t apply in cases of life endangerment or severe health condition.

■ Act 1057 prohibits the state from paying for an abortion for women who are in the custody or guardianship of the state, except in cases of life endangerment or as otherwise required by federal law.