THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2022 | 12:00-1:00 PM MDT
The recent SCOTUS decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has activated, or will shortly activate, abortion ban laws in many states. Given this significant change in the legal landscape, as well as the numerous and novel legal issues yet to be determined, healthcare providers, employers, and individuals alike are struggling to make sense of the laws and determine their impact.
Join us as we discuss many of the questions being raised on this topic, including:
- If a state’s abortion ban makes it illegal to induce an abortion after a pregnancy has begun, which under most states’ laws is any time after an egg is fertilized, can a healthcare provider be accused of ‘abortion’ if suggesting or providing Plan B or if they implant an IUD—both of which can keep a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus?
- Can a state that has banned abortion criminally prosecute a resident of a different state who has provided or assisted a woman in obtaining an abortion?
- Can employers located in a state where an abortion ban exists be criminally or civilly liable for providing financial assistance and medical leave for their employees to travel to another state to obtain an abortion?
- Will federal law pre-empt certain aspects of these state abortion ban laws? For example, in instances in which the FDA has approved abortion-inducing medications that can be prescribed via telemedicine and self-administered, will the courts find that a state cannot prosecute providers and individuals involved in such actions under their state abortion ban law?
- What are the implications of the abortion ban laws on in vitro fertilization (“IVF”) providers and the involved parents, given that IVF clinics typically discard thousands of fertilized eggs each year?
While many of these questions cannot presently be answered with certainty, as they will be decided over the coming years via legal battles and further state legislation, this webinar will provide participants with: (1) an overview of the various Intermountain West abortion ban laws and their potential implications; (2) an increased understanding of various guidance resources (e.g., guidance issued by federal or state agencies on specific topics); and (3) additional insights on many of the undetermined legal issues that participants should closely consider and monitor (e.g., legislative changes, litigation, future agency guidance, etc.).
Click the "Register" button below to sign up for this complimentary webinar.
Questions? Contact Charles Cobbins.