Creating the compassion and care for medically challenging pregnancies Act

This bill creates the “Compassion and Care for Medically Challenging Pregnancies Act”. The bill provides definitions for “department”, “health care practitioner”, “lethal fetal anomaly”, and “perinatal hospice service” as used in the bill. The bill provides that a health care practitioner who diagnoses a lethal fetal anomaly may inform the pregnant woman, orally and in person, that perinatal hospice services are available and offer to refer the pregnant woman for such services; or provide the pregnant woman with the list and information sheet regarding available perinatal hospice services compiled and provided by the department of health and human services (HHS). The bill requires HHS to compile a geographically organized list of, and an information sheet regarding, perinatal hospice services available in Iowa and nationally. HHS shall post the list and information sheet, available in both English and Spanish, on HHS’s internet site. The internet site and information sheet shall include a statement indicating that perinatal hospice services are an innovative and compassionate model of support for the pregnant woman who is informed that her baby has a lethal fetal anomaly and chooses to continue her pregnancy; a general description of the perinatal hospice services available; and at the request of a perinatal hospice service included on the list, the perinatal hospice service’s informational materials and contact information, including whether 24-hour perinatal hospice services are available.