The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of the
legislative instrument, were prepared by Carla S. Roberts.
DIGEST
SB 205 Original 2019 Regular Session Mizell
Present law provides that certain persons who are mandatory reporters, as is defined by present law,
are required to report incidents of child abuse to the Dept. of Children and Family Services or to law
enforcement.
Proposed law retains present law and requires any health practitioner or abortion clinic employee
who has knowledge of or who observes a minor who presents at an outpatient abortion facility or
other healthcare facility and who appears to be a victim of human trafficking, trafficking of children
for sexual purposes, or coerced abortion to immediately report such observations to local law
enforcement agency having jurisdiction over crimes against children.
Proposed law defines an "abortion clinic employee" as an individual who is not a health practitioner,
as defined present law, but who is employed by an outpatient abortion facility and who has any
contact with patients at the facility.
Proposed law provides that, when a minor female who is under the age of 17 and is pregnant and
presents to an outpatient abortion facility other healthcare facility to a mandatory reporter who is a
health practitioner or abortion clinic employee, that mandatory reporter shall make a reasonable
effort to determine if the minor female is a victim of abuse which is defined as a crime against a
child, pursuant to present law. Proposed law further provides that, if the health practitioner or
abortion clinic employee determines that evidence of abuse against the pregnant minor has occurred
(other than human trafficking and trafficking of children for sexual purposes which must be reported
to law enforcement under proposed law), the health practitioner or the abortion clinic employee shall
follow the reporting procedures provided for mandatory reporters pursuant to present law and shall
report the abuse to the Dept. of Children and Family Services.
Effective August 1, 2019.
(Adds Ch. C. Arts. 603(17)(l), 610(I) and 610.1)