HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1615        FILED ON: 2/18/2011

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3295

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Viriato Manuel deMacedo and Sheila C. Harrington

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to unborn children.

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PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Viriato Manuel deMacedo

1st Plymouth

1/20/2011

Sheila C. Harrington

1st Middlesex

2/3/2011

Angelo M. Scaccia

14th Suffolk

2/3/2011

James J. Lyons, Jr.

18th Essex

2/4/2011

Paul Adams

17th Essex

2/4/2011

George T. Ross

2nd Bristol

1/25/2011

Elizabeth A. Poirier

14th Bristol

2/1/2011

John H. Rogers

12th Norfolk

2/3/2011

Nick Collins

4th Suffolk

2/3/2011


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1615        FILED ON: 2/18/2011

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3295

By Representatives deMacedo of Plymouth and Harrington of Groton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3295) of Viriato Manuel deMacedo, Sheila C. Harrington and others for legislation to require physicians to anesthetize the fetus prior to performing certain abortions.  Public Health.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Eleven

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An Act relative to unborn children.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Chapter 112 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 12M the following section:-

Section 12M½.  For the purpose of preventing fetal pain, no physician shall perform an abortion unless the physician anesthetizes the fetus; except in the following circumstances: (i) in the reasonable clinical judgment of the physician, such administration of anesthesia to the fetus would cause serious risk to the life of the mother; (ii) in the reasonable clinical judgment of the physician, such administration of anesthesia to the fetus would cause serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the mother; (iii) in the reasonable clinical judgment of the physician, the pregnancy has not yet reached 20 weeks gestation; or (iv) the mother directs that anesthesia not be administered to the fetus.