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HB1401 • 2026

Public Health - Abortion - Informed Consent

Public Health - Abortion - Informed Consent

Abortion
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Delegates McComas , Ciliberti , and Hornberger
Last action
2026-03-19
Official status
In the House - Hearing 3/19 at 2:30 p.m.
Effective date
2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Public Health - Abortion - Informed Consent

Requiring qualified providers to inform patients of certain information and obtain signed, written informed consent before performing a procedure to terminate a pregnancy.

What This Bill Does

  • Requiring qualified providers to inform patients of certain information and obtain signed, written informed consent before performing a procedure to terminate a pregnancy.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-19 House

    Hearing canceled

  2. 2026-03-19 House

    Hearing 3/19 at 2:30 p.m.

  3. 2026-02-16 House

    Hearing 3/19 at 1:00 p.m.

  4. 2026-02-13 House

    First Reading Health

  5. Maryland General Assembly

    Text - First - Public Health - Abortion - Informed Consent

Official Summary Text

Requiring qualified providers to inform patients of certain information and obtain signed, written informed consent before performing a procedure to terminate a pregnancy.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb1401*

HOUSE BILL 1401
J1 6lr3385

By: Delegates McComas, Ciliberti, and Hornberger
Introduced and read first time: February 13, 2026
Assigned to: Health

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Public Health – Abortion – Informed Consent 2

FOR the purpose of requiring qualified providers to inform patients of certain information 3
and obtain signed , written informed consent before performing a procedure to 4
terminate a pregnancy; and generally relating to informed consent for terminating a 5
pregnancy. 6

BY adding to 7
Article – Health – General 8
Section 20–201 to be under the amended part “Part I. Abortion Services” 9
Annotated Code of Maryland 10
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 11

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13

Article – Health – General 14

Part I. Abortion [Referral] Services. 15

20–201. 16

(A) IN THIS SECTION , “QUALIFIED PROVIDER” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED 17
IN § 20–207 OF THIS SUBTITLE. 18

(B) BEFORE PERFORMING A P ROCEDURE TO TERMINATE A PREGNANCY, A 19
QUALIFIED PROVIDER SHALL: 20

(1) INFORM THE PATIENT OF: 21

2 HOUSE BILL 1401

(I) THE NATURE OF THE PROPOSED PROCEDURE; AND 1

(II) THE POTENTIAL RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROCEDURE, 2
INCLUDING THE RISKS OF DEPRESSION , INFECTION, HEMORRHAGE, BREAST 3
CANCER, DANGER TO SUBSEQUENT PREGNANCIES, INFERTILITY, AND REGRET; AND 4

(2) OBTAIN THE PATIENT’S SIGNED, WRITTEN INFORMED CONSENT. 5

(C) THE QUALIFIED PROVIDE R SHALL PLACE A COPY OF THE SIGNED, 6
WRITTEN INFORMED CONSENT IN THE PATIENT’S MEDICAL RECORD. 7

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 8
October 1, 2026. 9