HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 488        FILED ON: 1/11/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1985

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Elizabeth A. Poirier

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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 to advance the safety of women seeking to terminate a pregnancy.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 488        FILED ON: 1/11/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1985

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 1211 OF 2017-2018.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

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An Act to advance the safety of women seeking to terminate a pregnancy.

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

Section 1: Section 52 of Chapter 111 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the definition of “clinic,” as appearing therein, and replacing it with the following:

“Clinic,” any activity, however organized, whether conducted for profit or not for profit,

which is advertised, announced, established, or maintained for the purpose of providing ambulatory medical, surgical, dental, physical rehabilitation, or mental health services. In addition, “clinic” shall include any entity, however organized, whether conducted for profit or not for profit, which is not a hospital and which is advertised, announced, established or maintained for the purpose of performing and does perform more than ten (10) abortions per year. In addition, “clinic” shall include any entity, however organized, whether conducted for profit or not for profit, which is advertised, announced, established, or maintained under a name which includes the word “clinic,” “dispensary,” or “institute,” and which suggests that ambulatory medical, surgical, dental, physical rehabilitation, or mental health services are rendered therein.  With respect to any entity which is not advertised, announced, established, or maintained under one of the names in the preceding sentence, ”clinic” shall not include a medical office building, or one or more practitioners engaged in a solo or group practice whether conducted for profit or not for profit, and however organized, so long as the practitioners in such medical office building and the practitioners engaged in such solo or group practice do not perform more than ten (10) abortions per year, and so long as such practice is wholly owned and controlled by one or more of the practitioners so associated, or, in the case of a not for profit organization, its only members are one or more of the practitioners so associated or a clinic established solely to provide service to employees or students of such corporation or institution. For purposes of this section, “clinic” shall not include a clinic conducted by a hospital licensed under section fifty-one or by the federal government or the commonwealth.