Sponsors (6)
The bill would create a uniform federal standard for handling fetal remains that reduces state-level variation and legal uncertainty for providers, but it raises significant risks of criminal investigations, deterrence from seeking reproductive care, federal-state conflicts, and added costs for healthcare providers.
Hospitals, clinics, and healthcare workers will have a single federal standard for handling fetal remains, reducing state-by-state legal uncertainty and simplifying compliance.
Pregnant people and families will have clearer, consistent federal standards on handling fetal remains, reducing variation across states in how remains are treated.
Enforcement could involve investigating pregnancy outcomes and therefore deter people from seeking reproductive health care, chilling access to care.
Pregnant people could face increased criminal exposure or investigation depending on how 'unlawful disposal' is defined and enforced.
Federalization of fetal-remains rules could conflict with existing state laws, creating jurisdictional uncertainty and complicating clinical care and legal compliance across states.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds a federal prohibition in the criminal code against unlawful disposal of fetal remains, though the operative language and details are not included in the excerpt.
Introduced January 23, 2025 by Robert E. Latta · Last progress January 23, 2025
Creates a new federal criminal prohibition on the unlawful disposal of fetal remains by adding a provision to the federal criminal code and includes a brief clause establishing a short title. The excerpt does not include the text of the prohibition, so definitions, penalties, exceptions, enforcement authority, or effective date are not provided.