Freedom of Choice Act
Latest action · Apr 19, 2007 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 19, 2007
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Freedom of Choice Act - Declares that it is the policy of the United States that every woman has the fundamental right to choose to: (1) bear a child; (2) terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability; or (3) terminate a pregnancy after fetal viability when necessary to protect her life or her health.
Prohibits a federal, state, or local governmental entity from: (1) denying or interfering with a woman's right to exercise such choices; or (2) discriminating against the exercise of those rights in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information. Provides that such prohibition shall apply retroactively.
Authorizes an individual aggrieved by a violation of this Act to obtain appropriate relief, including relief against a governmental entity, in a civil action.
Cosponsors 19
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 19, 2007 to Jun 13, 2007; 12 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MD | Barbara A. Mikulski | Original | Apr 19, 2007 |
| D-MD | Benjamin L. Cardin | Original | Apr 19, 2007 |
| D-NY | Charles E. Schumer | Original | Apr 19, 2007 |
| D-MI | Debbie Stabenow | Original | Apr 19, 2007 |
| D-CA | Dianne Feinstein | Original | Apr 19, 2007 |
| D-NJ | Frank R. Lautenberg | Original | Apr 19, 2007 |
| D-NY | Hillary Rodham Clinton | Original | Apr 19, 2007 |
| D-NM | Jeff Bingaman | Original | Apr 19, 2007 |
| D-WA | Maria Cantwell | Original | Apr 19, 2007 |
| D-MT | Max Baucus | Original | Apr 19, 2007 |
| D-WA | Patty Murray | Original | Apr 19, 2007 |
| D-NJ | Robert Menendez | Original | Apr 19, 2007 |
| D-MT | Jon Tester | Apr 23, 2007 | |
| I-CT | Joseph I. Lieberman | Apr 23, 2007 | |
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Apr 25, 2007 | |
| D-OH | Sherrod Brown | May 2, 2007 | |
| D-IL | Barack Obama | May 11, 2007 | |
| D-RI | Sheldon Whitehouse | Jun 6, 2007 | |
| D-MA | John F. Kerry | Jun 13, 2007 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred Apr 19, 2007 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 19, 2007Introduced in Senate
- Apr 19, 2007Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| RL33467 | Abortion: Judicial History and Legislative Response | Report | Feb 25, 2022 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1964 | Freedom of Choice Act | Related bill | May 4, 2007 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to protect, consistent with Roe v. Wade, a woman's freedom to choose to bear a child or terminate a pregnancy, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Freedom of Choice Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues.
- Abortion
- Civil actions and liability
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Communication in medicine
- Discrimination in medical care
- Discrimination in public facilities
- Government liability
- Government Operations and Politics
- Health
- Law
- Patients' rights
- Reproduction
- Sex discrimination
- Women
- Women's health
- Women's rights
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 19, 2007Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
