Us Congress 2023-2024 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HR561

Introduced
6/27/23  
Refer
6/27/23  

Caption

Expressing opposition to the use of State power against people in the United States seeking essential health care, including criminalization of the full range of sexual and reproductive health care such as abortion, gender-affirming care, and contraceptive care, and disapproving of State punishment of people for their pregnancy outcomes.

Impact

This resolution calls for a significant shift in state policy regarding reproductive health. By condemning the punitive measures that some states have enacted, such as criminal penalties for abortion and gender-affirming care, HR561 aims to protect patients and health care providers from legal repercussions. The current landscape of health care in many states, particularly those enforcing strict laws against reproductive rights, could be altered if the resolution leads to broader legislative changes that emphasize patient rights over punitive state actions.

Summary

HR561 is a resolution expressing opposition to the use of state power against individuals seeking essential health care services, particularly in the context of sexual and reproductive health. The bill condemns the criminalization of a range of health care options including abortion, gender-affirming care, and contraceptives. It asserts that access to these services is fundamental to personal autonomy and well-being, and that the health care system must prioritize the dignity and respect of patients. The bill emphasizes that individuals should not face punishment or legal repercussions for exercising their rights to make decisions about their bodies and reproductive health.

Contention

Notable points of contention surrounding HR561 include the ongoing national debate on abortion and gender-affirming care. Supporters champion the bill as an essential step towards safeguarding health care access and individual rights, particularly for marginalized communities who may be disproportionately affected by state policies. Critics, however, may argue that such protections undermine state sovereignty in making health care policy decisions, reflecting a deep ideological divide regarding health care rights in America. The bill also highlights the conflict between state laws that penalize individuals for pregnancy outcomes and the resolution's call for decriminalization and protection of health care access.

Companion Bills

US SR276

Same As A resolution expressing opposition to the use of State power against people in the United States seeking essential health care, including criminalization of the full range of sexual and reproductive health care such as abortion, gender-affirming care, and contraceptive care, and disapproving of State punishment of people for their pregnancy outcomes.

Previously Filed As

US SR276

A resolution expressing opposition to the use of State power against people in the United States seeking essential health care, including criminalization of the full range of sexual and reproductive health care such as abortion, gender-affirming care, and contraceptive care, and disapproving of State punishment of people for their pregnancy outcomes.

US HCR39

Expressing the sense of Congress to support the case of Beatriz, a young woman from a rural area of El Salvador, living in extreme poverty and with lupus, who fought for her life against the state to allow her to terminate a pregnancy that put her at risk, which exposed the serious consequences of the absolute criminalization of abortion in El Salvador, and urging the Salvadoran state to assume its international obligations in the field of human rights.

US HR1299

Reaffirming the goals and ideals of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action in Cairo, Egypt, including comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights.

US SB36

Out-of-state criminal charges: prosecution related to abortion, contraception, reproductive care, and gender-affirming care.

US HR238

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that every person has the basic right to emergency health care, including abortion care.

US HR1411

Recognizing July 2024 as the 30th anniversary of the reproductive justice movement to raise awareness around the history of reproductive justice and honor the foremothers of the reproductive justice movement, build a world in which Black girls and gender expansive people, as well as all Americans marginalized by their race, class, or gender, are free from systems of reproductive oppression of their bodies, sexuality, labor, and reproduction.

US HR1448

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that every person has the basic right to emergency health care, including abortion care.

US HR332

Supporting the designation of the week of April 11 through April 17, 2025, as the eighth annual "Black Maternal Health Week", founded by Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Inc. (BMMA), to bring national attention to the maternal and reproductive health crisis in the United States and the importance of reducing maternal mortality and morbidity among Black women and birthing people.

US HR525

Affirming the role of the United States in eliminating sexual violence in conflict.

US HR522

Recognizing that Adriana Smith and her family's prolonged ordeal without their consent is the direct result of the Black maternal health crisis, the danger of laws that give rights to fetuses and take them away from pregnant people, and anti-abortion laws that continue to harm people who can become pregnant.

Similar Bills

CA SB848

Employment: leave for reproductive loss.

MI SB1082

Consumer protection: privacy; reproductive health data privacy act; create. Creates new act.

MI HB6077

Consumer protection: privacy; reproductive health data privacy act; create. Creates new act.

NJ A4657

Creates "Reproductive Health Care Access Fund" to strengthen access to reproductive health care; makes appropriation.

NJ S3492

Creates "Reproductive Health Care Access Fund" to strengthen access to reproductive health care.

HI HB1343

Relating To Reproductive Health Care Access.

HI HB1343

Relating To Reproductive Health Care Access.

CA AB2298

Parent-child relationship: assisted reproduction agreement for gestational carriers.