Any female prisoner in any local detention facility shall have the right to summon and receive the services of any physician and surgeon of her choice in order to determine whether she is pregnant. The superintendent of such facility may adopt reasonable rules and regulations with regard to the conduct of examinations to effectuate such determination.
If the prisoner is found to be pregnant, she is entitled to a determination of the extent of the medical services needed by her and to the receipt of such services from the physician and surgeon of her choice. Any expenses occasioned by the services of a physician and surgeon whose services are not provided by the facility shall be borne by the prisoner.
For the purposes of this section, “local detention facility” means any city, county, or regional facility used for the confinement of any female prisoner for more than 24 hours.
Any physician providing services pursuant to this section shall possess a current, valid, and unrevoked certificate to engage in the practice of medicine issued pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 2000) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code.
The rights provided for prisoners by this section shall be posted in at least one conspicuous place to which all female prisoners have access.
(Added by Stats. 1972, Ch. 1362.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018