Reproductive Freedom for All Act
Latest action · Feb 9, 2023 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.
- IntroducedFeb 9, 2023
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Reproductive Freedom for All Act
This bill establishes a general right of all persons to make certain reproductive decisions without undue government interference.
It specifically provides statutory authority for the Supreme Court's prior holdings in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey. In Roe, the Court held that the Constitution protects a woman's decision to terminate her pregnancy. In Casey, the Court reaffirmed this holding and additionally held that state abortion regulations may not place a substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion before fetal viability (i.e., an undue burden). However, a state may (1) restrict abortions after viability, except when a pregnancy endangers the life or health of the woman; and (2) enact regulations to further the health or safety of a woman seeking an abortion, except for unnecessary health regulations that present a substantial obstacle to a woman seeking an abortion.
Additionally, the bill provides statutory authority for the Court's holdings in Griswold v. Connecticut (the right of married couples to obtain contraception), Eisenstadt v. Baird (the right of single persons to obtain contraception), Carey v. Population Services International (the right of minors to obtain contraception), and Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt (that certain state restrictions on abortion facilities and providers created an undue burden).
The bill allows the Department of Justice or any person adversely affected by a state law that violates this bill to seek injunctive relief. It also specifies that the bill does not affect laws regarding conscience protection.
Cosponsors 4
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 9, 2023 to Feb 8, 2024, with 3 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-AZ | Kyrsten Sinema | Original | Feb 9, 2023 |
| R-AK | Lisa Murkowski | Original | Feb 9, 2023 |
| R-ME | Susan M. Collins | Original | Feb 9, 2023 |
| I-WV | Joe Manchin III | Feb 8, 2024 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Feb 9, 2023Introduced in Senate
- Feb 9, 2023Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 9, 2023Introduced 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.