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W. Va. Governor Signs Law Changing Abortion Notification Waiver
By: Associated Press
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Gov. Jim Justice has signed a law ending a doctor’s ability to waive the legal requirement to notify parents of an underage daughter’s abortion.
It allows only a judge to waive parental notification.
Under the old law, a physician other than the one performing an abortion can waive the requirement by finding that the minor is mature enough to decide independently or that notification wouldn’t be in her best interest.
Advocates say waivers are needed sometimes, especially to protect girls raped in abusive or violent households.
Physician waivers were used four times in 2015, when 48 minors in West Virginia had abortions.
Another new law prohibits doctors from prescribing narcotics or drugs that induce abortion by telemedicine.