(a) Prior to obtaining informed consent from a subject for AOP or any alternative method of ovarian retrieval on a subject for the purpose of procuring oocytes for research or the development of medical therapies, a physician and surgeon shall provide to the subject a standardized medically accurate written summary of health and consumer issues associated with AOP and any alternative methods of oocyte retrieval. The failure to provide to a subject this standardized medically accurate written summary constitutes unprofessional conduct within the meaning of Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 2000) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code.

(b) The summary shall include, but not be limited to, medically accurate disclosures concerning the potential risks of AOP or any alternative method of oocyte retrieval, including the risks associated with the surgical procedure and with using the drugs, medications, and hormones prescribed for ovarian stimulation during the AOP process or any alternative method of oocyte retrieval.

(c) For purposes of subdivision (a), “written summary of health and consumer issues” means the guide published and updated by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine entitled, “Assisted Reproductive Technology: A Guide for Patients” or an alternative written medically accurate document prepared by a recognized authority on oocyte retrieval for medical research that also meets the criteria included in this section. This alternative document may be one that has been approved and recommended by the State Department of Public Health pursuant to Section 125118 and shall include all of the following:

(1) The document shall adhere to simplified reading standards, including, but not limited to, those generally accepted and required for government publications. The document shall be written in layperson’s language and shall be made available in languages spoken by subjects in the study if their proficiency is largely in a language other than English. All information in the document shall be conveyed to the subject orally in easy to understand and nontechnical terms.

(2) The document shall include additional resources for, or list additional sources of, medical information on health and safety issues surrounding oocyte retrieval.

(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 483, Sec. 34. Effective January 1, 2008.)