The office on women's health and community health is created in the Louisiana Department of Health and must carry out listed public-health duties, report yearly, and avoid promoting or funding abortion except in stated exceptions.
§2526. Office on women's health and community health; assistant secretary; duties and functions A. The office on women's health and community health is hereby created in the Louisiana Department of Health. The office shall only provide services to a woman born as a biological female and perform the duties and functions assigned to it in Subsection C of this Section or as otherwise provided by law with a focus on all of the following: (1) Health needs throughout a woman's life. (2) Chronic or acute conditions that significantly affect women, such as heart disease, cancer, obesity, and osteoporosis. (3) Access to health care for women. (4) The impact of poverty on women's health. (5) The leading causes of morbidity and mortality for women. (6) Health disparities of women and communities. B. The office on women's health and community health shall be under the immediate supervision of an assistant secretary appointed by the governor in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 36:257. The assistant secretary shall employ necessary staff to carry out the duties and functions of the office as provided in this Section or as otherwise provided by law. C. In carrying out its purposes as provided for in R.S. 36:258, the office on women's health and community health shall do all of the following: (1) Collect, classify, and analyze relevant information and data resulting from research conducted or compiled by the Louisiana Department of Health or other collaborative entities. (2) Prepare educational or informative materials regarding women's health for publication and dissemination to the public. (3) Seek funding through federal sources, grant programs, and other funding opportunities to carry out the duties and functions provided for in this Section which are within the scope and purposes of the office. D. The office on women's health and community health shall coordinate its activities and programs with those of other entities that focus on women's health or women's issues. E. The office on women's health and community health shall provide an annual report to the governor, legislature, and secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health recommending priorities and areas of improvement for women's health in Louisiana. The office shall issue the report no later than April first of each year. F. No person employed by the office on women's health and community health or officially representing the office, by contract or otherwise, shall require or recommend that any woman have an abortion or promote abortion. This Subsection shall not apply to a doctor of medicine, currently licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners pursuant to R.S. 37:1261 et seq., who is acting to save or preserve the life of a pregnant woman. No activities of the office on women's health and community health shall promote abortion. G. No public funds made available to the office on women's health and community health, whether such funds are made available by the government of the United States, the state of Louisiana, or a local governmental subdivision, or from any other public source, shall be used in any way for, to assist in, to promote, or to provide facilities for an abortion, except for any of the following: (1) Whenever the abortion is necessary to save the life of the mother. (2) Whenever the abortion is being sought to terminate a pregnancy resulting from an alleged act of rape and all of the requirements of R.S. 40:1061.18(A) are met. (3) Whenever the abortion is being sought to terminate a pregnancy resulting from an alleged act of crime against nature as defined by R.S. 14:89(A)(2) and all of the requirements of R.S. 40:1061.18(B) are met. Acts 2022, No. 676, §2, eff. June 18, 2022.