Bill > H5125

This bill serves to codify the privacy rights guaranteed by the decision reached in the United States Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) and its progeny. The key provisions of the bill include: 1. Prohibiting the state or its agencies from restricting an individual's ability to prevent, continue, or terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability, interfering with an individual's decision to continue a pregnancy after fetal viability, or restricting the use of evidence-based, medically recognized methods of contraception or abortion, except in accordance with certain state and federal laws and regulations. 2. Defining "fetal viability" as the stage of gestation where the attending physician determines there is a reasonable likelihood of the fetus' sustained survival outside the womb, with or without artificial support. 3. Repealing existing laws criminalizing abortion and related activities, as well as laws requiring spousal notice and restricting insurance coverage for abortion services. 4. Amending the state's felony assault statute to clarify that it does not apply to acts related to the performance of an abortion or medical treatment of a pregnant individual. The bill aims to codify the reproductive privacy rights established by the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision within Rhode Island's state laws.

Health and Social Services, Justice