Sponsors (19)
The bill balances patient protection and in‑person safety checks against medication abortion with strict federal requirements and broad definitions that are likely to reduce access, raise costs and delays, create legal uncertainty for providers, and provoke federal–state conflicts.
Pregnant people are explicitly exempted from federal prosecution under this section, protecting patients from criminal penalties for undergoing a chemical abortion.
Pregnant patients must receive an in-person physical exam and a follow-up visit within 14 days, which may improve detection and management of complications from medication abortion.
Healthcare providers who prescribe or dispense abortion drugs could face federal criminal exposure unless they meet strict in‑person requirements, creating a strong deterrent that will likely reduce provider availability and sharply limit access to medication abortion.
The requirement that the provider be physically present at the location of drug use and conduct an exam effectively blocks telemedicine abortion services, forcing travel, raising out‑of‑pocket costs, and causing delays—especially harming low‑income patients.
Broad statutory definitions (e.g., defining 'unborn child' from fertilization and expansive 'abortion drug' language) create legal uncertainty that could expose routine care to federal scrutiny and discourage clinicians from providing reproductive healthcare.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Makes it a federal crime for providers to deliver medication abortion via telehealth unless they perform an in-person exam, are physically present at administration, and schedule a 14‑day follow-up.
Official title: To prohibit chemical abortions performed without the presence of a healthcare provider, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 24, 2025 by Mark Harris · Last progress January 24, 2025
Creates a new federal crime that makes it illegal for a health care provider to provide or attempt to provide a medication (chemical) abortion across state lines or otherwise “in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce” unless the provider (1) physically examines the patient, (2) is physically present where the medication is administered, and (3) schedules a follow-up visit within 14 days. The patient is explicitly exempt from prosecution; the bill defines key terms (including defining "unborn child" as beginning at fertilization) and excludes treatment of verified ectopic pregnancy. The measure adds the new criminal statute into title 18 of the U.S. Code and updates the table of sections; it contains a severability clause but does not include funding, implementation timelines, or additional administrative requirements.