The Senate on Thursday approved legislation that would require doctors to provide written notice to women who are going through drug-induced abortions that the procedures can be stopped.
Senate Bill 341 by Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain Home, was approved 29-5 and sent to the House.
After dispensing the first dose of abortion-inducing drugs, a doctor or other qualified person would be required to provide a written notice to the patient that states RU-486 or Mifeprex is not always effective in ending a pregnancy.
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"It may be possible to reverse its intended effect if the second pill or tablet has not been taken or administered," according to the written notice required under the bill. "If you change your mind and wish to try to continue the pregnancy, you can locate immediate help by searching the term 'abortion pill reversal' on the Internet."
Sen. Keith Ingram, D-West Memphis, who voted against the bill, asked, "We are going to tell a woman to Google information? That is going to be the advice somebody gives, 'Go on the Internet and look this up?'"
In response, Irvin said the bill gives written notice to women about their ability to reverse an abortion and "we have a doctor that testified in committee ... that this can happen and has happened."
-- Michael R. Wickline