It happens almost daily in Michigan: abortion patients getting turned away from their scheduled appointments, because there’s a problem with their state-mandated paperwork.
“Pretty much every single day that I provide care, somebody’s care is not able to happen because of complications of that 24-hour consent process,” said Dr. Lisa Harris, an obstetrician-gynecologist and professor of reproductive health at the University of Michigan.
She’s talking about two of the current restrictions on abortion that remain in Michigan, even after Proposal 3 enshrined abortion rights in the state Constitution last year: 1) a mandatory 24-hour wait period, and 2) a signed “informed consent” form testifying the patient has reviewed required material about the procedure.
In practice, the two have been combined into a single form, accessible only through a state website, that patients must sign within a specific time frame (no more than two weeks, but no less than 24 hours, before their appointment), print and bring to their appointment.
https://www.wkar.org/wkar-news/2023-09-15/bill-would-erase-paperwork-requirement-that-cancels-150-abortions-each-month
