Summary

Repeals a federal criminal law that made it a crime to use force, threats, or obstruction to interfere with a person’s ability to obtain reproductive health services or to access places of worship. The repeal also removes the law from the federal criminal code and applies to any federal prosecution pending on or started on or after the date the repeal becomes law, effectively ending federal enforcement under that statute going forward.

• Repeals 18 U.S.C. § 248, the federal statute that criminalized force, threats, or obstruction aimed at blocking access to reproductive health services and certain places of worship.
• Removes the statute from the Title 18 table of sections in the federal criminal code.
• Applies to any federal prosecution pending on or commenced on or after the law’s enactment, affecting ongoing and future federal cases under that statute.
• Does not create new criminal penalties or alter other federal or state criminal laws.
• Shifts reliance away from this specific federal tool; prosecutors may use other federal statutes or state laws to address similar conduct.
• Has direct implications for clinics, patients seeking reproductive health services, and clinic staff who had been protected by the statute.
• Likely reduces a specific federal enforcement option aimed at protecting access to reproductive healthcare and places of worship.
• No new spending, program authorizations, or administrative changes beyond removing the code entry are included.