Sponsors (21)
The bill tightens federal criminal enforcement and expands legal exposure around medication abortion—risking reduced access and increased investigations—while preserving narrow medical and contraceptive exceptions for emergencies and pre‑pregnancy contraception.
Women with life‑threatening pregnancy complications can receive treatment exempted from the chemical‑abortion ban when a physician certifies danger to life.
Women retain access to common contraceptive agents used before pregnancy confirmation and are explicitly not subject to criminal prosecution under this bill.
Congress receives more information and cited data about FDA actions and the prevalence of medication abortion, which could prompt federal oversight and help state public‑health planning and provider counseling.
Clinicians who prescribe or dispense abortion medications face severe criminal penalties (up to 25 years), which is likely to deter providers and sharply reduce access to reproductive health care.
Federal criminalization and enforcement risk (including DOJ investigations) could expose clinics, pharmacies, telemedicine providers and patients to cross‑state legal actions, increased administrative burdens, and privacy/surveillance of medical records and communications.
Defining an 'unborn child' from fertilization expands legal exposure for providers of early‑stage pregnancy care and could restrict some contraceptives and routine early pregnancy services absent narrow exceptions.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Creates a new federal crime that would ban prescribing, dispensing, distributing, or selling any drug or chemical intended to cause an abortion, punishable by up to 25 years in prison and fines, while exempting contraceptives given before pregnancy confirmation, treatment of miscarriage under medical guidelines, and treatment for life‑threatening pregnancy conditions; it also bars criminal prosecution of the pregnant person and defines key terms including "unborn child" as beginning at fertilization.
Introduced January 22, 2025 by Andy Ogles · Last progress January 22, 2025