The bill would require a woman to certify in writing that her doctor either has referred her to a state Web site on abortion or has informed her of the nature of, risks of, and alternatives to abortion.

A medical professional would also have to verbally inform the woman of the gestational age of the fetus at the time the abortion is to be performed.

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Senate Bill 30 passed the House 27-11. A different version of the measure passed the Senate last year, so the two versions will have to be reconciled in the final days of the legislative session, which ends Tuesday.

Rep. Nancy Dahlstrom, R-Eagle River, said the bill is intended to allow women to make decisions without regret.

"This bill is not about whether abortion is right or wrong, this bill is about information," Dahlstrom said. "I believe information and knowledge are power."

But Rep. Beth Kerttula, D-Juneau, argued the bill places a different informed consent requirement on abortion than on any other medical procedure, including brain surgery and amputation. She questioned whether doing so is constitutional.

Under the bill, women would be referred to a state Web site that would contain information on adoption agencies and pregnancy assistance groups, as well as agencies that provide abortion and family planning services.

The Web site also would have to include information on fetal development and the possibility of survival outside the womb at various stages; on abortion methods; on risks and possible complications of abortion and childbirth; and on possible physical and psychological side effects of abortion and childbirth.

The bill calls for the medical information to be objective and unbiased and approved by obstetrical and gynecological specialists appointed by the State Medical Board.

Rep. Sharon Cissna, D-Anchorage, said a decision to have an abortion is difficult, and requiring women to visit the proposed state Web site is excessive.

"It's a heavy, heavy decision," Cissna said. "You have to be living that life in order to know what the elements were that made that up."

Rep. Bob Lynn, R-Anchorage, who is on the board of Alaska Right to Life, responded that the bill is pro-education and pro-choice.

"This simply gives the mother information to make an informed choice," Lynn said.

The informed consent requirements could be waived if the pregnancy is the result of rape or sexual abuse, or if the procedure needs to be performed immediately to save a woman's life or health.

Unlike the Senate version, the House bill does not require women to wait 24 hours after receiving the information to have an abortion.

The Senate version also would have the medical information for the Web site prepared by the state Department of Health and Social Services, not experts appointed by the State Medical Board.

The vote in the House fell along party lines, with members of the Republican majority caucus voting for it and the Democratic minority caucus opposing it.