The Arkansas State House and Senate both filed bills Thursday to prohibit "webcam abortions," when physicians use telemedicine to prescribe chemical abortions, according to The Southwest Times Record.
Senate Bill 53 and House Bill 1076 would require a physician to be physically present when abortion-inducing drugs are prescribed, dispensed or otherwise provided, and would require the physician to make sure the patient comes for a follow-up visit within 12 to 18 days.
Violations of the proposed law would result in the revocation of the physician's medical license and possible punitive damages. The patient would not be liable under the law, according to the report.
Arkansas lawmakers passed one of the strictest abortion laws in the nation in 2013, which prohibits abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. Most of the law was struck down by a federal judge last spring. The state is appealing the decision.
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