Signed by Governor Phil Scott

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to amend and pass a bill that establishes legal cover for patients and providers of reproductive and gender-affirming care in Vermont.

Highlights:

• Establishes legal cover for patients and providers of reproductive and gender-affirming care in Vermont (Sec. 1-13).

• Amends technical gaps in state law to improve the state’s current shield laws which provide legal cover for Vermont health care providers and patients (Sec. 1-13).

• Authorizes abortion medication to be accessible online, and broadens which health care service advertising is regulated by consumer protection law, and adds privacy options for providers of reproductive and gender-affirming care (Sec. 1-13).

• Amends and updates state statute to allow providers to use online questionnaires to prescribe abortion medication (Sec. 1-13).

• Specifies that the questionnaires would be “developed by or in consultation with health care providers with clinically appropriate expertise” that would allow a provider to get a patient’s medical history and ask follow-up questions (Sec. 1-13).

• Authorizes all advertising about health care services to be placed under state consumer protection law (Sec. 1-13).

• Defines all ‘advertising’ about health care services or proposed services by any person  as commercial speech, even if there is no economic motivation underlying the speech (Sec. 1-13). 

• Amends and improves privacy for providers of reproductive and gender-affirming health care (Sec. 1-13).

• Authorizes providers to request the removal of their name or initials from “non-controlled” medicine prescribed for reproductive or gender-affirming care (Sec. 1-13).

• Specifies that the provisions of this bill shall take effect immediately upon passage and approval by the Governor (Sec. 14).

Full Bill Text