H. B. 3300
(By Delegates Brown, Hrutkay, Poling,
Webster and Hatfield)
[Introduced March 25, 2005; referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by
adding thereto a new section, designated §16-5B-13a, relating
to hospitals and similar institutions; and requiring any
faith-based facility that counsels women regarding
contraception, abortion or pregnancy to maintain a quality
assurance program.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended
by adding thereto a new section, designated §16-5B-13a, to read as
follows:
ARTICLE 5B. HOSPITALS AND SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS.
§16-5B-13a. Faith-based facilities counseling women regarding
contraception, abortion or pregnancy; quality
assurance program required.
(a) Any facility that counsels women regarding contraception, abortion, pregnancy or any matter related thereto shall establish
and maintain a quality assurance program run by a quality assurance
committee of at least four staff members who must meet at least
quarterly to review standards and procedures for the facility.
(b) A written report of each meeting shall be filed with the
Department of Health and Human Resources.
(c) Nothing in this section may be construed or interpreted to
condone, permit, allow or endorse any form of coercion of a woman
regarding any means of contraception, abortion, childbirth or
childcare.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to
require any faith-based
facility that counsels women regarding contraception, abortion or
pregnancy to maintain a quality assurance program.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.