Ultrasound Informed Consent Act
Latest action · Jan 19, 2024 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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.
- IntroducedJan 18, 2024
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Ultrasound Informed Consent Act
This bill requires abortion providers to conduct an ultrasound before performing an abortion.
Specifically, before a woman gives informed consent to any part of an abortion, the abortion provider must
- perform an obstetric ultrasound on the pregnant woman;
- provide a simultaneous explanation of what the ultrasound is depicting;
- display the ultrasound images so the woman may view them; and
- provide a complete medical description of the images, including the dimensions of the embryo or fetus, cardiac activity if present and visible, and the presence of external members and internal organs if present and viewable.
Providers are subject to civil actions and penalties for violations.
The bill's ultrasound requirements do not apply in cases where a physical disorder, illness, or injury caused by the pregnancy endangers a woman's life. A woman is also not required to view the ultrasound images; nor may she or the provider be penalized if she declines to do so.
Cosponsors 10
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 18, 2024 to Feb 6, 2024; 7 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-WV | Alexander X. Mooney | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-MD | Andy Harris | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-TX | Dan Crenshaw | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-MO | Eric Burlison | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-SC | Jeff Duncan | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-IL | Mary E. Miller | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-MT | Matthew M. Rosendale, Sr. | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-GA | Andrew S. Clyde | Jan 25, 2024 | |
| R-TX | Brian Babin | Feb 1, 2024 | |
| R-AZ | Elijah Crane | Feb 6, 2024 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Jan 18, 2024 |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred Jan 19, 2024 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 19, 2024Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Jan 18, 2024Introduced in House
- Jan 18, 2024Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
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
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 170, no. 10, January 18, 2024, pages H241, H240.
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To ensure that women seeking an abortion receive an ultrasound and the opportunity to review the ultrasound before giving informed consent to receive an abortion.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Ultrasound Informed Consent Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 18, 2024Introduced in House
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.
