Woman’s Right To Know 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
Woman's Right To Know Act
This bill specifies requirements for informed consent that health care providers must obtain before performing an abortion procedure.
Providers must present a woman seeking an abortion with an authorization form at least 24 hours before performing the procedure. The form must (1) include specified information concerning gestational age, associated developmental characteristics, and medical risks; (2) disclose penalties that providers may face for failing to obtain the requisite informed consent; and (3) include an affirmation that the individual signing the form understands the information. The form must be signed and witnessed in person and retained in the medical file.
Providers do not have to obtain such consent if, in reasonable medical judgment, obtaining it would pose a greater risk of death or substantial physical impairment of a major bodily function, excluding psychological or emotional conditions, of the pregnant woman.
The bill also establishes civil penalties for providers who do not comply with these requirements.
Cosponsors 16
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 18, 2024 to Feb 6, 2024; 13 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-KY | Brett Guthrie | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-TN | Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-TN | David Kustoff | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-AZ | Debbie Lesko | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-IN | Jim Banks | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-MS | Michael Guest | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-TX | Pete Sessions | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-TX | Randy K. Weber, Sr. | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-TX | Ronny Jackson | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-FL | Scott Franklin | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-KS | Tracey Mann | Original | Jan 18, 2024 |
| R-AR | Bruce Westerman | Jan 30, 2024 | |
| R-SC | William R. Timmons IV | Jan 30, 2024 | |
| R-OH | Robert E. Latta | 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, page H241.
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1126 | HOPE Act | Related bill | Mar 3, 2023 |
| S 3609 | Woman’s Right To Know Act | Identical bill | Jan 18, 2024 |
| HR 6636 | Woman’s Right To Know Act | Related bill | Dec 12, 2023 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To ensure that women seeking an abortion are notified, before giving informed consent to receive an abortion, of the medical risks associated with the abortion procedure and the major developmental characteristics of the unborn child.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Woman’s Right To Know 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.
