Women’s Health Protection Act of 2019
Latest action · May 23, 2019 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.
- IntroducedMay 23, 2019
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Women's Health Protection Act of 2019
This bill prohibits state or local governments from imposing certain restrictions on access to abortion services. Specifically, state or local government may not require
- unnecessary tests or procedures in connection with the provision of abortion services,
- the same health care provider who provides abortion services to perform such tests or procedures,
- providers to offer medically inaccurate information to patients before or during abortion services,
- providers to refrain from prescribing certain drugs,
- certain hospital facility transfer agreements,
- one or more medically unnecessary in-person visits, or
- patients to disclose the reason for seeking abortion services.
The bill also prohibits limitations or requirements that both single out and impede access to abortion services based on a number of factors (e.g., restrictions that are reasonably likely to decrease the availability of abortion services in a state). A state or local government also may not prohibit abortions prior to fetal viability nor prohibit abortions after fetal viability in cases where the health care provider determines that continuing the pregnancy poses a risk to the patient's life or health.
Additionally, the Department of Justice, individuals, or health care providers may bring a lawsuit to prospectively enjoin a limitation or restriction that is prohibited by this bill. The bill further requires the government defending such a limitation or restriction to show that (1) it significantly advances the safety of abortion services or patient health, and (2) such advancement cannot be met by a less-restrictive measure.
Cosponsors 43
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 23, 2019 to Mar 3, 2020, with 42 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MN | Amy Klobuchar | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| I-ME | Angus S. King Jr. | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| D-MD | Benjamin L. Cardin | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| D-HI | Brian Schatz | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| D-NV | Catherine Cortez Masto | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| D-NY | Charles E. Schumer | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| D-DE | Christopher A. Coons | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| D-CT | Christopher Murphy | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| D-NJ | Cory A. Booker | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| D-MI | Debbie Stabenow | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| D-CA | Dianne Feinstein | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| D-MA | Edward J. Markey | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| D-MA | Elizabeth Warren | Original | May 23, 2019 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 23, 2019Introduced in Senate
- May 23, 2019Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 2975 | Women’s Health Protection Act of 2019 | Identical bill | May 24, 2019 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 23, 2019Introduced 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.