Sponsors (43)
This bill protects demonstrators from federal prosecution and reduces federal enforcement costs, but increases risks to clinic access and safety, shifts enforcement to local authorities, and may disrupt ongoing federal prosecutions.
People who protest outside reproductive health clinics (protesters/demonstrators) will no longer face federal criminal liability under 18 U.S.C. §248, reducing the risk of federal prosecution for demonstration-related conduct.
The federal government (DOJ and taxpayers) will likely see reduced caseloads and lower prosecution costs because federal §248 prosecutions are eliminated.
Patients and clinic staff (including women and people with chronic conditions) may face increased obstruction, harassment, and blocked access to care because federal tools to prevent or punish clinic blockades are removed.
Federal prosecutors lose a statutory tool to deter and punish violent or obstructive conduct at clinics, shifting enforcement responsibility to local authorities and potentially reducing deterrence and coordinated enforcement.
Retroactive application could halt ongoing §248 prosecutions and create legal uncertainty for victims, witnesses, and ongoing cases, undermining confidence in enforcement outcomes.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced January 21, 2025 by Charles Roy · Last progress January 21, 2025
Repeals 18 U.S.C. § 248, the federal criminal law that makes it a crime to block or interfere with access to health-care facilities, and removes that section from the federal criminal code. The repeal takes effect on enactment and explicitly applies to prosecutions pending on the date of enactment as well as prosecutions begun after enactment.