(1) The Legislature finds that: (a) The use of abortion-inducing drugs presents significant medical risks to women, including, but not limited to, abdominal pain, cramping, vomiting, headache, fatigue, uterine hemorrhage, viral infections, pelvic inflammatory disease, severe bacterial infection and death.(b) Abortion-inducing drugs are associated with an increased risk of complications relative to surgical abortion. The risk of complications increases with increasing gestational age.(c) In July 2011, the FDA reported two thousand two hundred seven (2,207) adverse events in the United States after women used abortion-inducing drugs for the termination of pregnancy. Among those were fourteen (14) deaths, six hundred twelve (612) hospitalizations, three hundred thirty-nine (339) blood transfusions, and two hundred fifty-six (256) infections (including forty-eight (48) 'severe infections').(d) Medical evidence demonstrates that women who use abortion-inducing drugs incur more complications than those who have surgical abortions.(2) Based on the findings in subsection (1) of this section, it is the purpose of Sections 41-41-101 through 41-41-117 to: (a) Protect women from the dangerous than those who have surgical abortions.(2) Based on the findings in subsection (1) of this section, it is the purpose of Sections 41-41-101 through 41-41-117 to: (a) Protect women from the dangerous and potentially deadly use of abortion-inducing drugs when administration of the drugs does not meet the standard of care; and(b) Ensure that physicians meet the standard of care when giving, selling, dispensing, administering or otherwise providing or prescribing abortion-inducing drugs.Added by Laws, 2013, ch. 551, SB 2795, 2, eff. 7/1/2013.
Mississippi Legal Code