Missouri Laws 191.923 – Prenatally diagnosed conditions, patient to be provided information — ..
1. The general assembly of the state of Missouri hereby finds and declares that pregnant women who choose to undergo prenatal screening should have access to timely and informative counseling about the conditions being tested for, the accuracy of such tests, and resources for obtaining support services for such conditions. Informed consent is a critical component of all genetic testing and prenatal screening, particularly as the results of such testing or screening and the counseling that follows may lead to the unnecessary abortion of unborn humans with Down Syndrome or other prenatally diagnosed conditions.
2. As used in this section, the following terms shall mean:
Terms Used In Missouri Laws 191.923
- following: when used by way of reference to any section of the statutes, mean the section next preceding or next following that in which the reference is made, unless some other section is expressly designated in the reference. See Missouri Laws 1.020
- person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Missouri Laws 1.020
- State: when applied to any of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" includes such district and territories. See Missouri Laws 1.020
(1) “Down Syndrome”, a chromosomal disorder caused by an error in cell division that results in the presence of an extra whole or partial copy of chromosome 21;
(2) “Health care provider”, any person or entity licensed, accredited, or certified by the state of Missouri to perform specified health services;
(3) “Prenatally diagnosed condition”, any adverse fetal health condition identified by prenatal genetic testing or indicated by prenatal screening procedures;
(4) “Prenatal test”, a diagnostic procedure or screening procedure performed upon a pregnant woman or her unborn offspring to obtain information about her offspring’s health or development.
3. When a prenatally diagnosed condition, including but not limited to Down Syndrome, becomes known as a result of one or more prenatal tests, the physician or other health care professional who requested or ordered prenatal tests, or his or her designee, shall provide the patient with current information about the conditions that were tested for, the accuracy of such tests, and resources for obtaining support services for such conditions, including information hotlines specific to Down Syndrome or other prenatally diagnosed conditions, resource centers, and clearinghouses for such conditions, support programs for parents and families, and the alternatives to abortion services program under section 188.325.
4. The department of health and senior services shall establish a clearinghouse of information concerning supportive services providers, information hotlines specific to Down Syndrome or other prenatally diagnosed conditions, resource centers, education, other support programs for parents and families, and the alternatives to abortion services program under section 188.325.