Us Congress 2023-2024 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HB12 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	I
2	2	118THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION H. R. 12
5	5	To protect a person’s ability to determine whether to continue or end a
6	6	pregnancy, and to protect a health care provider’s ability to provide
7	7	abortion services.
8	8	IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
9	9	MARCH30, 2023
10	10	Ms. C
11	11	HU(for herself, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. AGUILAR, Mr. ALLRED, Mr.
12	12	A
13	13	UCHINCLOSS, Ms. BALINT, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. BERA,
14	14	Mr. B
15	15	EYER, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. BLUNTROCHESTER, Ms. BONAMICI,
16	16	Mr. B
17	17	OWMAN, Ms. BROWN, Ms. BROWNLEY, Ms. BUDZINSKI, Ms. BUSH,
18	18	Ms. C
19	19	ARAVEO, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. CARSON, Mr. CARTER
20	20	of Louisiana, Mr. C
21	21	ARTWRIGHT, Mr. CASAR, Mr. CASTEN, Ms. CASTOR
22	22	of Florida, Mr. C
23	23	ASTROof Texas, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. CLARKEof New
24	24	York, Mr. C
25	25	LEAVER, Mr. COHEN, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. COURTNEY, Ms.
26	26	C
27	27	RAIG, Ms. CROCKETT, Mr. CROW, Ms. DAVIDSof Kansas, Mr. DAVIS
28	28	of Illinois, Ms. D
29	29	EANof Pennsylvania, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. DELAURO,
30	30	Ms. D
31	31	ELBENE, Mr. DELUZIO, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr.
32	32	D
33	33	OGGETT, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. EVANS, Mrs. FLETCHER,
34	34	Mr. F
35	35	OSTER, Ms. LOISFRANKELof Florida, Mr. FROST, Mr.
36	36	G
37	37	ARAMENDI, Ms. GARCIAof Texas, Mr. ROBERTGARCIAof California,
38	38	Mr. G
39	39	ARCI´Aof Illinois, Ms. PEREZ, Mr. GOLDMANof New York, Mr.
40	40	G
41	41	OMEZ, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. GREENof Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr.
42	42	H
43	43	IMES, Mr. HORSFORD, Ms. HOULAHAN, Ms. HOYLEof Oregon, Mr.
44	44	H
45	45	UFFMAN, Mr. IVEY, Mr. JACKSONof North Carolina, Ms. JACKSON
46	46	L
47	47	EE, Ms. JACOBS, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. JEFFRIES, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE,
48	48	Ms. K
49	49	ELLYof Illinois, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. KILMER, Mr.
50	50	K
51	51	RISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. LARSENof Washington, Mr. LAR-
52	52	SONof Connecticut, Mrs. LEEof Nevada, Ms. LEEof California, Ms.
53	53	L
54	54	EEof Pennsylvania, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. LIEU, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. LYNCH,
55	55	Mr. M
56	56	AGAZINER, Ms. MANNING, Ms. MATSUI, Mrs. MCBATH, Mrs.
57	57	M
58	58	CCLELLAN, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr.
59	59	M
60	60	EEKS, Ms. MENG, Ms. MOOREof Wisconsin, Mr. MORELLE, Mr.
61	61	M
62	62	OSKOWITZ, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. MRVAN, Mr. MULLIN, Mr. NADLER,
63	63	Mrs. N
64	64	APOLITANO, Mr. NEAL, Mr. NICKEL, Mr. NORCROSS, Ms. NOR-
65	65	TON, Ms. OMAR, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr.
66	66	P
67	67	AYNE, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. PETERS, Ms. PETTERSEN, Ms. PINGREE, Mr.
68	68	P
69	69	OCAN, Ms. PORTER, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. RASKIN, Mr.
70	70	T
71	71	HANEDAR, Ms. ROSS, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. RYAN, Ms. SALINAS,
72	72	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
73	73	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2
74	74	•HR 12 IH
75	75	Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Mr. SARBANES, Ms. SCANLON, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr.
76	76	S
77	77	CHIFF, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Ms. SCHRIER, Mr. SCOTTof Virginia, Ms. SE-
78	78	WELL, Mr. SHERMAN, Ms. SHERRILL, Ms. SLOTKIN, Mr. SMITHof Wash-
79	79	ington, Mr. S
80	80	ORENSEN, Ms. STANSBURY, Mr. STANTON, Ms. STEVENS,
81	81	Ms. S
82	82	TRICKLAND, Mr. SWALWELL, Mrs. SYKES, Mr. TAKANO, Mr.
83	83	T
84	84	HOMPSONof California, Mr. THOMPSONof Mississippi, Ms. TITUS, Ms.
85	85	T
86	86	LAIB, Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. TONKO, Mrs. TORRESof California, Mr.
87	87	T
88	88	ORRESof New York, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. TRONE, Ms. UNDERWOOD, Ms.
89	89	V
90	90	ELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. WASSERMANSCHULTZ, Mrs. WATSONCOLEMAN, Ms.
91	91	W
92	92	EXTON, Ms. WILD, Ms. WILLIAMSof Georgia, Ms. WILSONof Florida,
93	93	Mrs. H
94	94	AYES, Mr. MFUME, Mr. JOHNSONof Georgia, Mr. KIMof New
95	95	Jersey, Mr. C
96	96	OSTA, Ms. LEGERFERNANDEZ, Ms. CLARKof Massachu-
97	97	setts, Ms. E
98	98	SHOO, Mr. VASQUEZ, Ms. SPANBERGER, Mr. LANDSMAN, Mr.
99	99	K
100	100	EATING, Mrs. FOUSHEE, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. HOYER, Mr. BOYLEof
101	101	Pennsylvania, Mr. S
102	102	OTO, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Mr. PHILLIPS, Ms.
103	103	P
104	104	LASKETT, Mr. GOLDENof Maine, Mr. MCGARVEY, Mr. RUIZ, Ms.
105	105	S
106	106	CHOLTEN, Mrs. PELTOLA, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. CASE, Mr. NEGUSE, Mr.
107	107	B
108	108	ISHOPof Georgia, Mr. JACKSONof Illinois, Ms. WATERS, Mr. VARGAS,
109	109	Mrs. R
110	110	AMIREZ, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. VEASEY, and Mr. CORREA) introduced
111	111	the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
112	112	Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a pe-
113	113	riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
114	114	sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
115	115	mittee concerned
116	116	A BILL
117	117	To protect a person’s ability to determine whether to con-
118	118	tinue or end a pregnancy, and to protect a health care
119	119	provider’s ability to provide abortion services.
120	120	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
121	121	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
122	122	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
123	123	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Women’s Health Pro-4
124	124	tection Act of 2023’’. 5
125	125	SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6
126	126	Congress finds the following: 7
127	127	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
128	128	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3
129	129	•HR 12 IH
130	130	(1) Abortion services are essential health care, 1
131	131	and access to those services is central to people’s 2
132	132	ability to participate equally in the economic and so-3
133	133	cial life of the United States. Abortion access allows 4
134	134	people who are pregnant to make their own decisions 5
135	135	about their pregnancies, their families, and their 6
136	136	lives. 7
137	137	(2) Reproductive justice requires every indi-8
138	138	vidual to have the right to make their own decisions 9
139	139	about having children regardless of their cir-10
140	140	cumstances and without interference and discrimina-11
141	141	tion. Reproductive justice is a human right that can 12
142	142	and will be achieved when all people, regardless of 13
143	143	actual or perceived race, color, national origin, immi-14
144	144	gration status, sex (including gender identity, sex 15
145	145	stereotyping, or sexual orientation), age, or disability 16
146	146	status have the economic, social, and political power 17
147	147	and resources to define and make decisions about 18
148	148	their bodies, health, sexuality, families, and commu-19
149	149	nities in all areas of their lives, with dignity and 20
150	150	self-determination. 21
151	151	(3) Abortion care, like all health care, is a 22
152	152	human right that should not depend on one’s ZIP 23
153	153	Code or region, age, actual or perceived race, na-24
154	154	tional origin, immigration status, sex, or disability 25
155	155	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
156	156	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4
157	157	•HR 12 IH
158	158	status. Unfortunately, this is the current reality for 1
159	159	millions, creating a patchwork of abortion access 2
160	160	across the United States. Protecting the right to de-3
161	161	termine whether to continue or end a pregnancy, 4
162	162	and the right of health care providers to provide 5
163	163	abortion care, is necessary and essential to achieving 6
164	164	this human right, and ultimately reproductive jus-7
165	165	tice. 8
166	166	(4) On June 24, 2022, in its decision in Dobbs 9
167	167	v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Su-10
168	168	preme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, reversing dec-11
169	169	ades of precedent recognizing a constitutional right 12
170	170	to terminate a pregnancy before fetal viability. 13
171	171	(5) The effects of the Dobbs decision were im-14
172	172	mediate and disastrous. In the aftermath of the 15
173	173	Dobbs decision, many States imposed near-total 16
174	174	bans on abortion. As of March 2023, abortion is un-17
175	175	available in 14 States, leaving 17.8 million women of 18
176	176	reproductive age (15–49) and transgender and gen-19
177	177	der nonconforming individuals with the capacity to 20
178	178	become pregnant without abortion access in their 21
179	179	home State. Within 100 days of the ruling, 66 clin-22
180	180	ics across 15 States were forced to stop offering 23
181	181	abortions. 24
182	182	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
183	183	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5
184	184	•HR 12 IH
185	185	(6) Travel time to an abortion clinic, already a 1
186	186	burden for abortion seekers under Roe, has more 2
187	187	than tripled since Dobbs. As distance to an abortion 3
188	188	facility increases, so do the accompanying (and po-4
189	189	tentially prohibitive) burdens of time off work or 5
190	190	school, lost wages, transportation costs, lodging, 6
191	191	child care costs, and other ancillary costs. 7
192	192	(7) Even before the Dobbs decision, access to 8
193	193	abortion services had long been obstructed across 9
194	194	the United States in various ways, including: prohi-10
195	195	bitions of, and restrictions on, insurance coverage; 11
196	196	mandatory parental involvement laws; restrictions 12
197	197	that shame and stigmatize people seeking abortion 13
198	198	services; and medically unnecessary regulations that 14
199	199	fail to further the safety of abortion services, but in-15
200	200	stead cause harm people by delaying, complicating 16
201	201	access to, and reducing the availability of, abortion 17
202	202	services. 18
203	203	(8) Being denied an abortion can have serious 19
204	204	consequences for people’s physical, mental, and eco-20
205	205	nomic health and well-being, and that of their fami-21
206	206	lies. According to the Turnaway Study, a longitu-22
207	207	dinal study published by Advancing New Standards 23
208	208	In Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) in 2019, individ-24
209	209	uals who are denied a wanted abortion are more 25
210	210	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
211	211	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6
212	212	•HR 12 IH
213	213	likely to experience economic insecurity than individ-1
214	214	uals who receive a wanted abortion. After following 2
215	215	participants for five years, the study found that peo-3
216	216	ple who were denied abortion care were more likely 4
217	217	to live in poverty, experience debt, and have lower 5
218	218	credit scores for several years after the denial. These 6
219	219	findings demonstrate that when people have control 7
220	220	over when to have children and how many children 8
221	221	to have, their children benefit through increased eco-9
222	222	nomic security and better maternal bonding. 10
223	223	(9) Abortion bans and restrictions have reper-11
224	224	cussions for a broad range of health care beyond 12
225	225	pregnancy termination, including exacerbating the 13
226	226	existing maternal health crisis facing the United 14
227	227	States. The United States has the highest maternal 15
228	228	mortality rate of any industrialized nations, and 16
229	229	Black women and birthing people face three times 17
230	230	the risk of dying from pregnancy related causes as 18
231	231	their white counterparts. Even prior to Dobbs, re-19
232	232	search found that States that enacted abortion re-20
233	233	strictions based on gestation increased their mater-21
234	234	nal mortality rate by 38 percent. Research has 22
235	235	found that a nationwide ban would increase the 23
236	236	United States maternal mortality rate by an addi-24
237	237	tional 24 percent. Furthermore, States that have 25
238	238	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
239	239	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7
240	240	•HR 12 IH
241	241	banned, are planning to ban, or have severely re-1
242	242	stricted abortion care have fewer maternal health 2
243	243	providers, more maternity care deserts, higher rates 3
244	244	of both maternal and infant mortality, and greater 4
245	245	racial inequity in health care. 5
246	246	(10) Abortion bans and restrictions additionally 6
247	247	harm people’s health by reducing access to other es-7
248	248	sential health care services offered by many of the 8
249	249	providers targeted by the restrictions, including— 9
250	250	(A) screenings and preventive services, in-10
251	251	cluding contraceptive services; 11
252	252	(B) testing and treatment for sexually 12
253	253	transmitted infections; 13
254	254	(C) LGBTQ health services; and 14
255	255	(D) referrals for primary care, intimate 15
256	256	partner violence prevention, prenatal care, and 16
257	257	adoption services. 17
258	258	(11) This ripple effect has only worsened since 18
259	259	the Dobbs decision. Clinicians and pharmacists have 19
260	260	denied access to essential medication for conditions 20
261	261	including gastric ulcers and autoimmune diseases be-21
262	262	cause those drugs are also used for medication abor-22
263	263	tion care. Patients are reporting being denied or de-23
264	264	layed in their receipt of necessary and potentially 24
265	265	lifesaving treatment for ectopic pregnancies and mis-25
266	266	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
267	267	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8
268	268	•HR 12 IH
269	269	carriage management because of the newfound legal 1
270	270	risks facing providers. 2
271	271	(12) Reproductive justice seeks to address re-3
272	272	strictions on reproductive health, including abortion, 4
273	273	that perpetuate systems of oppression, lack of bodily 5
274	274	autonomy, white supremacy, and anti-Black racism. 6
275	275	This violent legacy has manifested in policies includ-7
276	276	ing enslavement, rape, and experimentation on Black 8
277	277	women; forced sterilizations, medical experimen-9
278	278	tation on low-income women’s reproductive systems; 10
279	279	and the forcible removal of Indigenous children. Ac-11
280	280	cess to equitable reproductive health care, including 12
281	281	abortion services, has always been deficient in the 13
282	282	United States for Black, Indigenous, Latina/x, Asian 14
283	283	American and Pacific Islander, and People of Color 15
284	284	(BIPOC) and their families. 16
285	285	(13) The legacy of restrictions on reproductive 17
286	286	health, rights, and justice is not a dated vestige of 18
287	287	a dark history. Data show the harms of abortion- 19
288	288	specific restrictions fall especially heavily on people 20
289	289	with low incomes, people of color, immigrants, young 21
290	290	people, people with disabilities, and those living in 22
291	291	rural and other medically underserved areas. Abor-23
292	292	tion bans and restrictions are compounded further 24
293	293	by the ongoing criminalization of people who are 25
294	294	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
295	295	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9
296	296	•HR 12 IH
297	297	pregnant, including those who are incarcerated, liv-1
298	298	ing with HIV, or with substance-use disorders. 2
299	299	These populations already experience health dispari-3
300	300	ties due to social, political, and environmental in-4
301	301	equities, and restrictions on abortion services exacer-5
302	302	bate these harms. Removing bans and restrictions on 6
303	303	abortion services would constitute one important 7
304	304	step on the path toward realizing reproductive jus-8
305	305	tice by ensuring that the full range of reproductive 9
306	306	health care is accessible to all who need it. 10
307	307	(14) Abortion bans and restrictions are tools of 11
308	308	gender oppression, as they target health care serv-12
309	309	ices that are used primarily by women. These pater-13
310	310	nalistic bans and restrictions rely on and reinforce 14
311	311	harmful stereotypes about gender roles and women’s 15
312	312	decisionmaking, undermining their ability to control 16
313	313	their own lives and well-being. These restrictions 17
314	314	harm the basic autonomy, dignity, and equality of 18
315	315	women. 19
316	316	(15) The terms ‘‘woman’’ and ‘‘women’’ are 20
317	317	used in this bill to reflect the identity of the majority 21
318	318	of people targeted and most directly affected by bans 22
319	319	and restrictions on abortion services, which are root-23
320	320	ed in misogyny. However, access to abortion services 24
321	321	is critical to the health of every person capable of 25
322	322	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
323	323	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10
324	324	•HR 12 IH
325	325	becoming pregnant. This Act is intended to protect 1
326	326	all people with the capacity for pregnancy— 2
327	327	cisgender women, transgender men, nonbinary indi-3
328	328	viduals, those who identify with a different gender, 4
329	329	and others—who are unjustly harmed by restrictions 5
330	330	on abortion services. 6
331	331	(16) Pregnant individuals will continue to expe-7
332	332	rience a range of pregnancy outcomes, including 8
333	333	abortion, miscarriage, stillbirths, and infant losses 9
334	334	regardless of how the State attempts to exert power 10
335	335	over their reproductive decisionmaking, and will con-11
336	336	tinue to need support for their health and well-being 12
337	337	through their reproductive lifespans. 13
338	338	(17) Evidence from the United States and 14
339	339	around the globe bears out that criminalizing abor-15
340	340	tion invariably leads to arrests, investigations, and 16
341	341	imprisonment of people who end their pregnancies or 17
342	342	experience pregnancy loss, leading to violations of 18
343	343	fundamental rights to liberty, dignity, bodily auton-19
344	344	omy, equality, due process, privacy, health, and free-20
345	345	dom from cruel and inhumane treatment. 21
346	346	(18) All major experts in public health and 22
347	347	medicine such as the American Medical Association, 23
348	348	American Public Health Association, American 24
349	349	Academy of Pediatrics, American Society of Addic-25
350	350	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
351	351	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11
352	352	•HR 12 IH
353	353	tion Medicine, and the American College of Obstetri-1
354	354	cians and Gynecologists, oppose the criminalization 2
355	355	of pregnancy outcomes because the threat of being 3
356	356	subject to investigation or punishment through the 4
357	357	criminal legal system when seeking health care 5
358	358	threatens pregnant people’s lives and undermines 6
359	359	public health by deterring people from seeking care 7
360	360	for obstetrical emergencies. 8
361	361	(19) Antiabortion stigma that is compounded 9
362	362	by abortion bans and restrictions also contributes to 10
363	363	violence and harassment that put both people seek-11
364	364	ing and people providing abortion care at risk. From 12
365	365	1977 to 2021, there were 11 murders, 42 bombings, 13
366	366	196 acts of arson, 491 assaults, and thousands of 14
367	367	other incidents of criminal activity directed at abor-15
368	368	tion seekers, providers, volunteers, and clinic staff. 16
369	369	This violence existed under Roe and has been stead-17
370	370	ily escalating for years. The presence of dangerous 18
371	371	protestors and organized extremists acts as yet an-19
372	372	other barrier to abortion care, and this threat has 20
373	373	become even more urgent as abortion bans pro-21
374	374	liferate and stigma around abortion care increases. 22
375	375	(20) Abortion is one of the safest medical pro-23
376	376	cedures in the United States. An independent, com-24
377	377	prehensive review of the state of science on the safe-25
378	378	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
379	379	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12
380	380	•HR 12 IH
381	381	ty and quality of abortion services, published by the 1
382	382	National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 2
383	383	Medicine in 2018, found that abortion in the United 3
384	384	States is safe and effective and that the biggest 4
385	385	threats to the quality of abortion services in the 5
386	386	United States are State regulations that create bar-6
387	387	riers to care. Such abortion-specific restrictions, as 7
388	388	well as broader State bans, conflict with medical 8
389	389	standards and are not supported by the rec-9
390	390	ommendations and guidelines issued by leading re-10
391	391	productive health care professional organizations in-11
392	392	cluding the American College of Obstetricians and 12
393	393	Gynecologists, the Society of Family Planning, the 13
394	394	National Abortion Federation, the World Health Or-14
395	395	ganization, and others. 15
396	396	(21) For over 20 years, medication abortion 16
397	397	care has been available in the United States as a 17
398	398	safe, effective, Food and Drug Administration 18
399	399	(FDA)-approved treatment to end an early preg-19
400	400	nancy. Today, medication abortion care accounts for 20
401	401	more than half of all pregnancy terminations in the 21
402	402	United States; however, significant barriers to access 22
403	403	remain in place, particularly in States that have im-23
404	404	posed onerous restrictions that conflict with FDA’s 24
405	405	regulation of medication abortion. Additionally, op-25
406	406	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
407	407	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 13
408	408	•HR 12 IH
409	409	ponents of abortion are now deploying new tactics to 1
410	410	limit access to this FDA-approved medication that 2
411	411	would set a dangerous precedent for the Federal 3
412	412	regulation of medication products and have national 4
413	413	repercussions. 5
414	414	(22) Health care providers are subject to licens-6
415	415	ing laws in various jurisdictions, which are not af-7
416	416	fected by this Act except as expressly provided in 8
417	417	this Act. 9
418	418	(23) International human rights law recognizes 10
419	419	that access to abortion is intrinsically linked to the 11
420	420	rights to life, health, equality and nondiscrimination, 12
421	421	privacy, and freedom from ill treatment. United Na-13
422	422	tions (UN) human rights treaty monitoring bodies 14
423	423	have found that legal abortion services, like other re-15
424	424	productive health care services, must be available, 16
425	425	accessible, affordable, acceptable, and of good qual-17
426	426	ity. UN human rights treaty bodies have condemned 18
427	427	criminalization of abortion and medically unneces-19
428	428	sary barriers to abortion services, including manda-20
429	429	tory waiting periods, biased counseling requirements, 21
430	430	and third-party authorization requirements. 22
431	431	(24) Core human rights treaties ratified by the 23
432	432	United States protect access to abortion. For exam-24
433	433	ple, in 2018, the UN Human Rights Committee, 25
434	434	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
435	435	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 14
436	436	•HR 12 IH
437	437	which oversees implementation of the International 1
438	438	Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), 2
439	439	made clear that the right to life, enshrined in Article 3
440	440	6 of the ICCPR, at a minimum requires govern-4
441	441	ments to provide safe, legal, and effective access to 5
442	442	abortion where a person’s life and health are at risk, 6
443	443	or when carrying a pregnancy to term would other-7
444	444	wise cause substantial pain or suffering. The Com-8
445	445	mittee stated that governments must not impose re-9
446	446	strictions on abortion which subject women and girls 10
447	447	to physical or mental pain or suffering, discriminate 11
448	448	against them, arbitrarily interfere with their privacy, 12
449	449	or place them at risk of undertaking unsafe abor-13
450	450	tions. The Committee stated that governments 14
451	451	should not apply criminal sanctions to women and 15
452	452	girls who undergo abortion or to medical service pro-16
453	453	viders who assist them in doing so. Furthermore, the 17
454	454	Committee stated that governments should remove 18
455	455	existing barriers that deny effective access to safe 19
456	456	and legal abortion, refrain from introducing new 20
457	457	barriers to abortion, and prevent the stigmatization 21
458	458	of those seeking abortion. 22
459	459	(25) International human rights experts have 23
460	460	condemned the Dobbs decision and regression on 24
461	461	abortion rights in the United States more generally 25
462	462	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
463	463	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 15
464	464	•HR 12 IH
465	465	as a violation of human rights. Immediately upon re-1
466	466	lease of the decision, then-UN High Commissioner 2
467	467	for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet reiterated 3
468	468	human rights protections for abortion and the im-4
469	469	pact that the decision will have on the fundamental 5
470	470	rights of millions within the United States, particu-6
471	471	larly people with low incomes and people belonging 7
472	472	to racial and ethnic minorities. UN independent 8
473	473	human rights experts, including the UN Working 9
474	474	Group on discrimination against women and girls, 10
475	475	the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, 11
476	476	and the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against 12
477	477	women and girls, similarly denounced the decision. 13
478	478	At the conclusion of a human rights review of the 14
479	479	United States in August 2022, the UN Committee 15
480	480	on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination noted 16
481	481	deep concerns with the Dobbs decision and rec-17
482	482	ommended that the United States address the dis-18
483	483	parate impact that it will have on racial and ethnic 19
484	484	minorities, Indigenous women, and those with low 20
485	485	incomes. 21
486	486	(26) Abortion bans and restrictions affect the 22
487	487	cost and availability of abortion services, and the 23
488	488	settings in which abortion services are delivered. 24
489	489	People travel across State lines and otherwise en-25
490	490	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
491	491	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 16
492	492	•HR 12 IH
493	493	gage in interstate commerce to access this essential 1
494	494	medical care. Likewise, health care providers travel 2
495	495	across State lines and otherwise engage in interstate 3
496	496	commerce in order to provide abortion services to 4
497	497	patients, and more would be forced to do so absent 5
498	498	this Act. 6
499	499	(27) Legal limitations and requirements im-7
500	500	posed upon health care providers or their patients 8
501	501	invariably affect commerce over which the United 9
502	502	States has jurisdiction. Health care providers engage 10
503	503	in a form of economic and commercial activity when 11
504	504	they provide abortion services, and there is an inter-12
505	505	state market for abortion services. 13
506	506	(28) Abortion bans and restrictions substan-14
507	507	tially affect interstate commerce in numerous ways. 15
508	508	For example, to provide abortion services, health 16
509	509	care providers engage in interstate commerce to pur-17
510	510	chase medicine, medical equipment, and other nec-18
511	511	essary goods and services. To provide and assist oth-19
512	512	ers in providing abortion services, health care pro-20
513	513	viders engage in interstate commerce to obtain and 21
514	514	provide training. To provide abortion services, health 22
515	515	care providers employ and obtain commercial serv-23
516	516	ices from doctors, nurses, and other personnel who 24
517	517	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
518	518	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 17
519	519	•HR 12 IH
520	520	engage in interstate commerce, including by and 1
521	521	traveling across State lines. 2
522	522	(29) Congress has the authority to enact this 3
523	523	Act to protect access to abortion services pursuant 4
524	524	to— 5
525	525	(A) its powers under the commerce clause 6
526	526	of section 8 of article I of the Constitution of 7
527	527	the United States; 8
528	528	(B) its powers under section 5 of the Four-9
529	529	teenth Amendment to the Constitution of the 10
530	530	United States to enforce the provisions of sec-11
531	531	tion 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment; and 12
532	532	(C) its powers under the necessary and 13
533	533	proper clause of section 8 of article I of the 14
534	534	Constitution of the United States. 15
535	535	(30) Congress has used its authority in the past 16
536	536	to protect access to abortion services and health care 17
537	537	providers’ ability to provide abortion services. In the 18
538	538	early 1990s, protests and blockades at health care 19
539	539	facilities where abortion services were provided, and 20
540	540	associated violence, increased dramatically and 21
541	541	reached crisis level, requiring congressional action. 22
542	542	Congress passed the Freedom of Access to Clinic 23
543	543	Entrances Act (Public Law 103–259; 108 Stat. 694) 24
544	544	VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:40 Mar 31, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
545	545	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 18
546	546	•HR 12 IH
547	547	to address that situation and protect physical access 1
548	548	to abortion services. 2
549	549	(31) Congressional action is necessary to put an 3
550	550	end to harmful restrictions, to protect access to 4
551	551	abortion services for everyone regardless of where 5
552	552	they live, to protect the ability of health care pro-6
553	553	viders to provide these services in a safe and acces-7
554	554	sible manner, and to eliminate unwarranted burdens 8
555	555	on commerce and the right to travel. 9
556	556	SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 10
557	557	The purposes of this Act are as follows: 11
558	558	(1) To permit people to seek and obtain abor-12
559	559	tion services, and to permit health care providers to 13
560	560	provide abortion services, without harmful or unwar-14
561	561	ranted limitations or requirements that single out 15
562	562	the provision of abortion services for restrictions 16
563	563	that are more burdensome than those restrictions 17
564	564	imposed on medically comparable procedures, do not 18
565	565	significantly advance reproductive health or the safe-19
566	566	ty of abortion services, or make abortion services 20
567	567	more difficult to access. 21
568	568	(2) To promote access to abortion services and 22
569	569	thereby protect women’s ability to participate equally 23
570	570	in the economic and social life of the United States. 24
571	571	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
572	572	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 19
573	573	•HR 12 IH
574	574	(3) To protect people’s ability to make decisions 1
575	575	about their bodies, medical care, family, and life’s 2
576	576	course. 3
577	577	(4) To eliminate unwarranted burdens on com-4
578	578	merce and the right to travel. Abortion bans and re-5
579	579	strictions invariably affect commerce over which the 6
580	580	United States has jurisdiction. Health care providers 7
581	581	engage in economic and commercial activity when 8
582	582	they provide abortion services. Moreover, there is an 9
583	583	interstate market for abortion services and, in order 10
584	584	to provide such services, health care providers en-11
585	585	gage in interstate commerce to purchase medicine, 12
586	586	medical equipment, and other necessary goods and 13
587	587	services; to obtain and provide training; and to em-14
588	588	ploy and obtain commercial services from health care 15
589	589	personnel, many of whom themselves engage in 16
590	590	interstate commerce, including by traveling across 17
591	591	State lines. Congress has the authority to enact this 18
592	592	Act to protect access to abortion services pursuant 19
593	593	to— 20
594	594	(A) its powers under the commerce clause 21
595	595	of section 8 of article I of the Constitution of 22
596	596	the United States; 23
597	597	(B) its powers under section 5 of the Four-24
598	598	teenth Amendment to the Constitution of the 25
599	599	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
600	600	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 20
601	601	•HR 12 IH
602	602	United States to enforce the provisions of sec-1
603	603	tion 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment; and 2
604	604	(C) its powers under the necessary and 3
605	605	proper clause of section 8 of article I of the 4
606	606	Constitution of the United States. 5
607	607	SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 6
608	608	In this Act: 7
609	609	(1) A
610	610	BORTION SERVICES.—The term ‘‘abortion 8
611	611	services’’ means an abortion and any medical or 9
612	612	non-medical services related to and provided in con-10
613	613	junction with an abortion (whether or not provided 11
614	614	at the same time or on the same day as the abor-12
615	615	tion). 13
616	616	(2) G
617	617	OVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘government’’ 14
618	618	includes each branch, department, agency, instru-15
619	619	mentality, and official of the United States or a 16
620	620	State. 17
621	621	(3) H
622	622	EALTH CARE PROVIDER .—The term 18
623	623	‘‘health care provider’’ means any entity (including 19
624	624	any hospital, clinic, or pharmacy) or individual (in-20
625	625	cluding any physician, certified nurse-midwife, nurse 21
626	626	practitioner, pharmacist, or physician assistant) 22
627	627	that— 23
628	628	VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:40 Mar 31, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
629	629	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 21
630	630	•HR 12 IH
631	631	(A) is engaged or seeks to engage in the 1
632	632	delivery of health care services, including abor-2
633	633	tion services; and 3
634	634	(B) if required by law or regulation to be 4
635	635	licensed or certified to engage in the delivery of 5
636	636	such services— 6
637	637	(i) is so licensed or certified; or 7
638	638	(ii) would be so licensed or certified 8
639	639	but for their past, present, or potential 9
640	640	provision of abortion services protected by 10
641	641	section 4. 11
642	642	(4) M
643	643	EDICALLY COMPARABLE PROCEDURES .— 12
644	644	The term ‘‘medically comparable procedures’’ means 13
645	645	medical procedures that are similar in terms of 14
646	646	health and safety risks to the patient, complexity, or 15
647	647	the clinical setting that is indicated. 16
648	648	(5) P
649	649	REGNANCY.—The term ‘‘pregnancy’’ refers 17
650	650	to the period of the human reproductive process be-18
651	651	ginning with the implantation of a fertilized egg. 19
652	652	(6) S
653	653	TATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ includes the 20
654	654	District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 21
655	655	Rico, and each territory and possession of the 22
656	656	United States, and any subdivision of any of the 23
657	657	foregoing, including any unit of local government, 24
658	658	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
659	659	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 22
660	660	•HR 12 IH
661	661	such as a county, city, town, village, or other general 1
662	662	purpose political subdivision of a State. 2
663	663	(7) V
664	664	IABILITY.—The term ‘‘viability’’ means 3
665	665	the point in a pregnancy at which, in the good-faith 4
666	666	medical judgment of the treating health care pro-5
667	667	vider, and based on the particular facts of the case 6
668	668	before the health care provider, there is a reasonable 7
669	669	likelihood of sustained fetal survival outside the 8
670	670	uterus with or without artificial support. 9
671	671	SEC. 5. PROTECTED ACTIVITIES AND SERVICES. 10
672	672	(a) G
673	673	ENERALRULES.— 11
674	674	(1) P
675	675	RE-VIABILITY.—A health care provider has 12
676	676	a right under this Act to provide abortion services, 13
677	677	and a patient has a corresponding right under this 14
678	678	Act to terminate a pregnancy prior to viability with-15
679	679	out being subject to any of the following limitations 16
680	680	or requirements: 17
681	681	(A) A prohibition on abortion prior to via-18
682	682	bility, including a prohibition or restriction on 19
683	683	a particular abortion procedure or method, or a 20
684	684	prohibition on providing or obtaining such abor-21
685	685	tions. 22
686	686	(B) A limitation on a health care pro-23
687	687	vider’s ability to prescribe or dispense drugs 24
688	688	that could be used for reproductive health pur-25
689	689	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
690	690	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 23
691	691	•HR 12 IH
692	692	poses based on current evidence-based regimens 1
693	693	or the provider’s good-faith medical judgment, 2
694	694	or a limitation on a patient’s ability to receive 3
695	695	or use such drugs, other than a limitation gen-4
696	696	erally applicable to the prescription, dispensing, 5
697	697	or distribution of drugs. 6
698	698	(C) A limitation on a health care provider’s 7
699	699	ability to provide, or a patient’s ability to re-8
700	700	ceive, abortion services via telemedicine, other 9
701	701	than a limitation generally applicable to the 10
702	702	provision of medically comparable services via 11
703	703	telemedicine. 12
704	704	(D) A limitation or prohibition on a pa-13
705	705	tient’s ability to receive, or a provider’s ability 14
706	706	to provide, abortion services in a State based on 15
707	707	the State of residency of the patient, or a prohi-16
708	708	bition or limitation on the ability of any indi-17
709	709	vidual to assist or support a patient seeking 18
710	710	abortion. 19
711	711	(E) A requirement that a health care pro-20
712	712	vider perform specific tests or medical proce-21
713	713	dures in connection with the provision of abor-22
714	714	tion services (including prior to or subsequent 23
715	715	to the abortion), unless generally required for 24
716	716	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
717	717	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 24
718	718	•HR 12 IH
719	719	the provision of medically comparable proce-1
720	720	dures. 2
721	721	(F) A requirement that a health care pro-3
722	722	vider offer or provide a patient seeking abortion 4
723	723	services medically inaccurate information. 5
724	724	(G) A limitation or requirement concerning 6
725	725	the physical plant, equipment, staffing, or hos-7
726	726	pital transfer arrangements of facilities where 8
727	727	abortion services are provided, or the creden-9
728	728	tials or hospital privileges or status of personnel 10
729	729	at such facilities, that is not imposed on facili-11
730	730	ties or the personnel of facilities where medi-12
731	731	cally comparable procedures are performed. 13
732	732	(H) A requirement that, prior to obtaining 14
733	733	an abortion, a patient make one or more medi-15
734	734	cally unnecessary in-person visits to the pro-16
735	735	vider of abortion services or to any individual or 17
736	736	entity that does not provide abortion services. 18
737	737	(I) A limitation on a health care provider’s 19
738	738	ability to provide immediate abortion services 20
739	739	when that health care provider believes, based 21
740	740	on the good-faith medical judgment of the pro-22
741	741	vider, that delay would pose a risk to the pa-23
742	742	tient’s life or health. 24
743	743	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
744	744	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 25
745	745	•HR 12 IH
746	746	(J) A requirement that a patient seeking 1
747	747	abortion services at any point or points in time 2
748	748	prior to viability disclose the patient’s reason or 3
749	749	reasons for seeking abortion services, or a limi-4
750	750	tation on providing or obtaining abortion serv-5
751	751	ices at any point or points in time prior to via-6
752	752	bility based on any actual, perceived, or poten-7
753	753	tial reason or reasons of the patient for obtain-8
754	754	ing abortion services, regardless of whether the 9
755	755	limitation is based on a health care provider’s 10
756	756	actual or constructive knowledge of such reason 11
757	757	or reasons. 12
758	758	(2) P
759	759	OST-VIABILITY.— 13
760	760	(A) I
761	761	N GENERAL.—A health care provider 14
762	762	has a right under this Act to provide abortion 15
763	763	services and a patient has a corresponding right 16
764	764	under this Act to terminate a pregnancy after 17
765	765	viability when, in the good-faith medical judge-18
766	766	ment of the treating health care provider, it is 19
767	767	necessary to protect the life or health of the pa-20
768	768	tient. This subparagraph shall not otherwise 21
769	769	apply after viability. 22
770	770	(B) A
771	771	DDITIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES .—A 23
772	772	State may provide additional circumstances 24
773	773	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
774	774	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 26
775	775	•HR 12 IH
776	776	under which post viability abortions are per-1
777	777	mitted under this paragraph. 2
778	778	(C) L
779	779	IMITATION.—In the case where a ter-3
780	780	mination of a pregnancy after viability, in the 4
781	781	good-faith medical judgement of the treating 5
782	782	health care provider, is necessary to protect the 6
783	783	life or health of the patient, a State shall not 7
784	784	impose any of the limitations or requirements 8
785	785	described in paragraph (1). 9
786	786	(b) O
787	787	THERLIMITATIONS ORREQUIREMENTS.—The 10
788	788	rights described in subsection (a) shall not be limited or 11
789	789	otherwise infringed through any other limitation or re-12
790	790	quirement that— 13
791	791	(1) expressly, effectively, implicitly, or as imple-14
792	792	mented, singles out abortion, the provision of abor-15
793	793	tion services, individuals who seek abortion services 16
794	794	or who provide assistance and support to those seek-17
795	795	ing abortion services, health care providers who pro-18
796	796	vide abortion services, or facilities in which abortion 19
797	797	services are provided; and 20
798	798	(2) impedes access to abortion services. 21
799	799	(c) F
800	800	ACTORS FORCONSIDERATION.—A court may 22
801	801	consider the following factors, among others, in deter-23
802	802	mining whether a limitation or requirement impedes ac-24
803	803	cess to abortion services for purposes of subsection (b)(2): 25
804	804	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
805	805	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 27
806	806	•HR 12 IH
807	807	(1) Whether the limitation or requirement, in a 1
808	808	provider’s good-faith medical judgment, interferes 2
809	809	with a health care provider’s ability to provide care 3
810	810	and render services, or poses a risk to the patient’s 4
811	811	health or safety. 5
812	812	(2) Whether the limitation or requirement is 6
813	813	reasonably likely to delay or deter a patient in ac-7
814	814	cessing abortion services. 8
815	815	(3) Whether the limitation or requirement is 9
816	816	reasonably likely to directly or indirectly increase the 10
817	817	cost of providing abortion services or the cost for ob-11
818	818	taining abortion services such as costs associated 12
819	819	with travel, childcare, or time off work. 13
820	820	(4) Whether the limitation or requirement is 14
821	821	reasonably likely to have the effect of necessitating 15
822	822	patient travel that would not otherwise have been re-16
823	823	quired, including by making it necessary for a pa-17
824	824	tient to travel out of State to obtain services. 18
825	825	(5) Whether the limitation or requirement is 19
826	826	reasonably likely to result in a decrease in the avail-20
827	827	ability of abortion services in a given State or geo-21
828	828	graphic region. 22
829	829	(6) Whether the limitation or requirement im-23
830	830	poses penalties that are not imposed on other health 24
831	831	care providers for comparable conduct or failure to 25
832	832	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
833	833	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 28
834	834	•HR 12 IH
835	835	act, or that are more severe than penalties imposed 1
836	836	on other health care providers for comparable con-2
837	837	duct or failure to act. 3
838	838	(7) The cumulative impact of the limitation or 4
839	839	requirement combined with other limitations or re-5
840	840	quirements. 6
841	841	(d) E
842	842	XCEPTION.—To defend against a claim that a 7
843	843	limitation or requirement violates a health care provider’s 8
844	844	or patient’s rights under subsection (b) a party must es-9
845	845	tablish, by clear and convincing evidence, that the limita-10
846	846	tion or requirement is essential to significantly advance 11
847	847	the safety of abortion services or the health of patients 12
848	848	and that the safety or health objective cannot be accom-13
849	849	plished by a different means that does not interfere with 14
850	850	the right protected under subsection (b). 15
851	851	SEC. 6. PROTECTION OF THE RIGHT TO TRAVEL. 16
852	852	A person has a fundamental right under the Con-17
853	853	stitution of the United States and this Act to travel to 18
854	854	a State other than the person’s State of residence, includ-19
855	855	ing to obtain reproductive health services such as prenatal, 20
856	856	childbirth, fertility, and abortion services, and a person 21
857	857	has a right under this Act to assist another person to ob-22
858	858	tain such services or otherwise exercise the right described 23
859	859	in this section. 24
860	860	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
861	861	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 29
862	862	•HR 12 IH
863	863	SEC. 7. APPLICABILITY AND PREEMPTION. 1
864	864	(a) I
865	865	NGENERAL.— 2
866	866	(1) S
867	867	UPERSEDING INCONSISTENT LAWS .—Ex-3
868	868	cept as provided under subsection (b), this Act shall 4
869	869	supersede any inconsistent Federal or State law, and 5
870	870	the implementation of such law, whether statutory, 6
871	871	common law, or otherwise, and whether adopted 7
872	872	prior to or after the date of enactment of this Act. 8
873	873	A Federal or State government official shall not ad-9
874	874	minister, implement, or enforce any law, rule, regu-10
875	875	lation, standard, or other provision having the force 11
876	876	and effect of law that conflicts with any provision of 12
877	877	this Act, notwithstanding any other provision of 13
878	878	Federal law, including the Religious Freedom Res-14
879	879	toration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq.). 15
880	880	(2) L
881	881	AWS AFTER DATE OF ENACTMENT .—Fed-16
882	882	eral law enacted after the date of the enactment of 17
883	883	this Act shall be subject to this Act unless such law 18
884	884	explicitly excludes such application by reference to 19
885	885	this Act. 20
886	886	(b) L
887	887	IMITATIONS.—The provisions of this Act shall 21
888	888	not supersede or apply to— 22
889	889	(1) laws regulating physical access to clinic en-23
890	890	trances; 24
891	891	(2) laws regulating insurance or medical assist-25
892	892	ance coverage of abortion services; 26
893	893	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
894	894	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 30
895	895	•HR 12 IH
896	896	(3) the procedure described in section 1
897	897	1531(b)(1) of title 18, United States Code; or 2
898	898	(4) generally applicable State contract law. 3
899	899	(c) P
900	900	REEMPTIONDEFENSE.—In any legal or admin-4
901	901	istrative action against a person or entity who has exer-5
902	902	cised or attempted to exercise a right protected by section 6
903	903	4 or section 5 or against any person or entity who has 7
904	904	taken any step to assist any such person or entity in exer-8
905	905	cising such right, this Act shall also apply to, and may 9
906	906	be raised as a defense by, such person or entity, in addi-10
907	907	tion to the remedies specified in section 8. 11
908	908	SEC. 8. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION. 12
909	909	(a) L
910	910	IBERALCONSTRUCTION BY COURTS.—In any 13
911	911	action before a court under this Act, the court shall lib-14
912	912	erally construe the provisions of this Act to effectuate the 15
913	913	purposes of the Act. 16
914	914	(b) P
915	915	ROTECTION OFLIFE ANDHEALTH.—Nothing 17
916	916	in this Act shall be construed to authorize any government 18
917	917	official to interfere with, diminish, or negatively affect a 19
918	918	person’s ability to obtain or provide abortion services prior 20
919	919	to viability, or after viability when, in the good-faith med-21
920	920	ical judgment of the treating health care provider, continu-22
921	921	ation of the pregnancy would pose a risk to the pregnant 23
922	922	patient’s life or health. 24
923	923	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
924	924	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 31
925	925	•HR 12 IH
926	926	(c) GOVERNMENTOFFICIALS.—Any person who, by 1
927	927	operation of a provision of Federal or State law, is per-2
928	928	mitted to implement or enforce a limitation or requirement 3
929	929	that violates section 4 or 5 shall be considered a govern-4
930	930	ment official for purposes of this Act. 5
931	931	SEC. 9. ENFORCEMENT. 6
932	932	(a) A
933	933	TTORNEYGENERAL.—The Attorney General 7
934	934	may commence a civil action on behalf of the United 8
935	935	States in any district court of the United States against 9
936	936	any State that violates, or against any government official 10
937	937	(including a person described in section 7(c)) who imple-11
938	938	ments or enforces a limitation or requirement that vio-12
939	939	lates, section 4 or 5. The court shall declare unlawful the 13
940	940	limitation or requirement if it is determined to be in viola-14
941	941	tion of this Act. 15
942	942	(b) P
943	943	RIVATERIGHT OFACTION.— 16
944	944	(1) I
945	945	N GENERAL.—Any individual or entity ad-17
946	946	versely affected by an alleged violation of this Act, 18
947	947	including any person or health care provider, may 19
948	948	commence a civil action against any government offi-20
949	949	cial (including a person described in section 7(c)) 21
950	950	that implements or enforces a limitation or require-22
951	951	ment that violates, section 4 or 5. The court shall 23
952	952	declare unlawful the limitation or requirement if it 24
953	953	is determined to be in violation of this Act. 25
954	954	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
955	955	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 32
956	956	•HR 12 IH
957	957	(2) HEALTH CARE PROVIDER .—A health care 1
958	958	provider may commence an action for relief on its 2
959	959	own behalf, on behalf of the provider’s staff, and on 3
960	960	behalf of the provider’s patients who are or may be 4
961	961	adversely affected by an alleged violation of this Act. 5
962	962	(c) P
963	963	RE-ENFORCEMENT CHALLENGES.—A suit 6
964	964	under subsection (a) or (b) may be brought to prevent en-7
965	965	forcement or implementation by any government of a 8
966	966	State limitation or requirement that is inconsistent with 9
967	967	section 4 or 5. 10
968	968	(d) D
969	969	ECLARATORY AND EQUITABLERELIEF.—In 11
970	970	any action under this section, the court may award appro-12
971	971	priate declaratory and equitable relief, including tem-13
972	972	porary, preliminary, or permanent injunctive relief. 14
973	973	(e) C
974	974	OSTS.—In any action under this section, the 15
975	975	court shall award costs of litigation, as well as reasonable 16
976	976	attorney’s fees, to any prevailing plaintiff. A plaintiff shall 17
977	977	not be liable to a defendant for costs or attorney’s fees 18
978	978	in any non-frivolous action under this section. 19
979	979	(f) J
980	980	URISDICTION.—The district courts of the United 20
981	981	States shall have jurisdiction over proceedings under this 21
982	982	Act and shall exercise the same without regard to whether 22
983	983	the party aggrieved shall have exhausted any administra-23
984	984	tive or other remedies that may be provided for by law. 24
985	985	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
986	986	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 33
987	987	•HR 12 IH
988	988	(g) ABROGATION OF STATEIMMUNITY.—Neither a 1
989	989	State that enforces or maintains, nor a government official 2
990	990	(including a person described in section 7(c)) who is per-3
991	991	mitted to implement or enforce any limitation or require-4
992	992	ment that violates section 4 or 5 shall be immune under 5
993	993	the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United 6
994	994	States, the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution of 7
995	995	the United States, or any other source of law, from an 8
996	996	action in a Federal or State court of competent jurisdic-9
997	997	tion challenging that limitation or requirement, unless 10
998	998	such immunity is required by clearly established Federal 11
999	999	law, as determined by the Supreme Court of the United 12
1000	1000	States. 13
1001	1001	SEC. 10. EFFECTIVE DATE. 14
1002	1002	This Act shall take effect upon the date of enactment 15
1003	1003	of this Act. 16
1004	1004	SEC. 11. SEVERABILITY. 17
1005	1005	If any provision of this Act, or the application of such 18
1006	1006	provision to any person, entity, government, or cir-19
1007	1007	cumstance, is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder 20
1008	1008	of this Act, or the application of such provision to all other 21
1009	1009	persons, entities, governments, or circumstances, shall not 22
1010	1010	be affected thereby. 23
1011	1011	Æ
1012	1012	VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:14 Mar 30, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H12.IH H12
1013	1013	kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS