Bill Summary
The Dignity for Aborted Children Act is a bill that aims to protect the dignity of fetal remains and ensure proper disposal of them. The act requires abortion providers to offer patients the option to take possession of the fetal tissue for burial or cremation, or to release the tissue to the provider. If the tissue is released to the provider, they are required to dispose of it through interment or cremation within 7 days, following state laws for disposal of human remains. Failure to comply with these requirements can result in penalties for the provider. The bill also requires providers to report the number of abortions performed and how the fetal remains were disposed of, and the Secretary must submit an annual report to Congress on this data. This act does not preempt any state laws regarding the disposal of fetal remains. It defines abortion as intentionally killing an unborn child or terminating a pregnancy, and fetal tissue as defined in a previous section.
Possible Impacts
1. This legislation could affect pregnant individuals seeking an abortion by requiring them to sign a consent form and decide on a preferred method of disposal for the fetal remains. This could potentially create added stress and emotional burden for individuals making this decision.
2. The legislation could also impact abortion providers by adding additional requirements and regulations for the disposal of fetal remains. This could lead to increased costs and administrative burdens for providers.
3. The mandated reporting and annual reports required by the legislation could also affect the general public by potentially increasing awareness and discussion around abortion statistics and the handling of fetal remains. This could have a societal impact on the ongoing debate and discussion surrounding abortion rights.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2590 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2590
To protect the dignity of fetal remains, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 26, 2019
Mr. Braun (for himself, Mr. Young, Mr. Daines, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Wicker,
Mr. Hawley, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Scott of
Florida, Ms. Ernst, Mrs. Blackburn, and Mr. Cruz) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To protect the dignity of fetal remains, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Dignity for Aborted Children Act''.
SEC. 2. PROTECTION OF FETAL REMAINS.
(a) In General.--Part H of title IV of the Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. 289 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``SEC. 498F. PROTECTION OF FETAL REMAINS.
``(a) Consent Requirement.--
``(1) In general.--Any abortion provider, after performing
an abortion in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce,
shall provide the patient with an informed consent form,
offering the patient the following options for disposal of the
human fetal tissue from the abortion:
``(A) The patient may take possession of the human
fetal tissue and may choose to transfer the tissue to
an entity providing interment or cremation services.
``(B) The patient may elect to release the human
fetal tissue to the abortion provider, who shall be
subject to the requirements of subsection (b).
``(2) Consent requirements.--An abortion provider described
in paragraph (1) shall--
``(A) obtain a patient signature on each consent
form required under paragraph (1); and
``(B) retain each such form in the patient's file.
``(b) Provider Disposal Requirement.--It shall be unlawful for any
abortion provider who, after performing an abortion, in or affecting
interstate or foreign commerce, in which the woman on whom the abortion
was performed elects, pursuant to subsection (a)(1)(B), to release the
human fetal tissue to the abortion provider, to fail to provide for the
final disposition of the human fetal tissue through interment or
cremation, consistent with State law regarding the disposal of human
remains, not later than 7 days after the date on which the abortion
procedure was performed. Such final disposition of human fetal tissue
may be carried out through interment or cremation of tissue from more
than one abortion procedure collectively.
``(c) Penalties.--
``(1) Informed consent violations.--An abortion provider
who fails to maintain the documentation required under
subsection (A)(2)(B) shall be subject to civil monetary
penalties in an amount not to exceed $50,000.
``(2) Disposal violations.--Any abortion provider who
violates subsection (b) shall be fined in accordance with title
18, United States Code, imprisoned not more than 5 years, or
both.
``(3) Bar to prosecution.--A patient upon whom an abortion
in violation of subsection (b) is performed or attempted may
not be prosecuted under, or for a conspiracy to violate,
paragraph (1), or for an offense under section 2, 3, or 4 of
title 18, United States Code, based on such a violation.
``(d) Reporting.--Each abortion provider described in subsection
(a)(1) shall submit annual reports to the Secretary indicating, with
respect to the reporting period--
``(1) the aggregate number of abortion procedures performed
by such abortion provider;
``(2) the gestational age at the time of each such
procedure; and
``(3) for abortions carried out using an abortion method
other than chemical abortion, the aggregate number of fetal
remains transferred for interment or cremation and the number
released to patients.
``(e) Annual Reports by the Secretary.--The Secretary shall submit
to Congress an annual report on the number of abortions by State,
procedure type, and method of disposal of human fetal tissue.
``(f) Non-Preemption.--Nothing in this section shall preempt any
State requirement that, at a minimum, requires interment or cremation
in the same manner that other human remains are required to be treated
in such State.
``(g) Definitions.--In this section--
``(1) the term `abortion' means the use or prescription of
any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance or
device--
``(A) to intentionally kill the unborn child of a
woman known to be pregnant; or
``(B) to intentionally terminate the pregnancy of a
woman known to be pregnant, with an intention other
than--
``(i) after viability to produce a live
birth and preserve the life and health of the
child born alive; or
``(ii) to remove a dead unborn child;
``(2) the term `abortion provider' means an individual or
entity that performs abortions; and
``(3) the term `human fetal tissue' has the meaning given
the term in section 498A(g).''.
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