HR 877 · 117th Congress 2021–2023, ended

Sanctity of Human Life Act

Introduced Feb 5, 2021 Originated House Sponsor Jody B. Hice R-GA

Fact sheet Spreadsheet

Latest action · Apr 23, 2021 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.

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.

  1. IntroducedFeb 5, 2021
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Sanctity of Human Life Act

This bill defines the beginning of human life for purposes of legal and constitutional attributes and privileges of personhood.

Specifically, it declares that

  • the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human and is a person's most fundamental right;
  • each human life begins with fertilization, cloning, or its equivalent; and
  • Congress, each state, the District of Columbia, and each U.S. territory have the authority to protect all human lives.

Cosponsors 29

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 5, 2021 to Oct 21, 2021; 22 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
R-GAA. Drew Ferguson IVOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-WVAlexander X. MooneyOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-GAAndrew S. ClydeOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-MDAndy HarrisOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-MOBilly LongOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-TXBrian BabinOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-GAEarl L. "Buddy" CarterOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-AREric A. "Rick" CrawfordOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-WIGlenn GrothmanOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-INJames R. BairdOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-SCJeff DuncanOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-PAJohn JoyceOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-TNJohn W. RoseOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-TXMichael CloudOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-ALMo BrooksOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-SCRalph NormanOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-TXRandy K. Weber, Sr.OriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-GARick W. AllenOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-VARobert J. WittmanOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-NCTed BuddOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-OKTom ColeOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-FLW. Gregory SteubeOriginalFeb 5, 2021
R-CADoug LaMalfaFeb 18, 2021
R-PAFred KellerFeb 18, 2021
R-OHJim JordanFeb 18, 2021
R-OHRobert E. LattaFeb 18, 2021
R-TXRonny JacksonFeb 18, 2021
R-PAGlenn ThompsonMar 26, 2021
R-TXAugust PflugerOct 21, 2021

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseJudiciary Committee
Referred Feb 5, 2021
Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee
Referred Apr 23, 2021

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Apr 23, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.
  2. Feb 5, 2021Introduced in House
  3. Feb 5, 2021Referred to the House 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.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the U.S. Constitution states: The Congress shall have the power ``to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department of officer thereof.'' Additionally, Section 1 of the XIV Amendment states, `` . . . nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law . . .'' and under Section 5 of the XIV Amendment, ``The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.''

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 22, February 5, 2021, page H470.

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
HR 305Sanctity of Human Life ActReintroduction ofJan 8, 2019

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
To provide that human life shall be deemed to begin with fertilization.
Short Title(s) as Introduced
Sanctity of Human Life Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Feb 5, 2021Introduced in House

Support LegiList

This page is free, carries no paywall, and is built and maintained by one person. If the record here is useful to you, a few dollars keeps it going.

$1 $5 $10

Processed by Stripe in a separate window. LegiList never sees card details.

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.