Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
The bill adds a new criminal prohibition to title 18 making it unlawful to perform an abortion if the provider knows the pregnant woman seeks it because the unborn child has, or may have, Down syndrome. It defines terms, creates criminal penalties (up to 5 years imprisonment and fines), civil remedies for certain relatives and the Attorney General, reporting duties for medical professionals, loss of federal funding under the Rehabilitation Act, expedited court handling, and privacy protections for women in related proceedings.
Progressives emphasize reproductive autonomy and chilling effects
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill articulates a clear substantive policy change and supplies many of the statutory elements needed to effect that change (definitions, prohibitions, penalties, civil remedies, reporting, and privacy protections).
The bill adds a new criminal prohibition to title 18 making it unlawful to perform an abortion if the provider knows the pregnant woman seeks it because the unborn child has, or may have, Down syndrome.
It defines terms, creates criminal penalties (up to 5 years imprisonment and fines), civil remedies for certain relatives and the Attorney General, reporting duties for medical professionals, loss of federal funding under the Rehabilitation Act, expedited court handling, and privacy protections for women in related proceedings.
The statute includes specific exceptions for procedures intended to produce live birth, to save the pregnant woman’s life, or to remove a dead unborn child.
Highly controversial subject, federalizes abortion restrictions, creates civil and criminal liability—historically difficult to enact absent broad consensus.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill articulates a clear substantive policy change and supplies many of the statutory elements needed to effect that change (definitions, prohibitions, penalties, civil remedies, reporting, and privacy protections). However, it omits notable implementation and resourcing details and leaves several interpretive and procedural questions unaddressed.
Progressives emphasize reproductive autonomy and chilling effects
These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.
Progressives emphasize reproductive autonomy and chilling effects
This persona would view the bill as a targeted restriction on abortion rights that criminalizes medical providers and interferes with reproductive autonomy.
They would focus on how the law could chill prenatal care, impose criminal and reporting burdens, and expand state-level barriers after Dobbs.
A centrist would see the bill’s stated anti-discrimination goal as legitimate but worry about legal vagueness, federal overreach into medical practice, and heavy criminal enforcement.
They would weigh disability protections against practical impacts on health care, privacy, and interstate legal conflict.
This persona would generally welcome the bill as consistent with pro-life principles and as protecting unborn children with Down syndrome from discriminatory abortion.
They would view federal criminal and funding consequences as appropriate deterrence and enforcement.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Highly controversial subject, federalizes abortion restrictions, creates civil and criminal liability—historically difficult to enact absent broad consensus.
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Progressives emphasize reproductive autonomy and chilling effects
Highly controversial subject, federalizes abortion restrictions, creates civil and criminal liability—historically difficult to enact absen…
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill articulates a clear substantive policy change and supplies many of the statutory elements needed to effect that change (definitions, prohibitions, penalties, civil re…
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.