Heartbeat Protection Act of 2025
Latest action · Jan 23, 2025 Referred to the House 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.
- IntroducedJan 23, 2025
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Heartbeat Protection Act of 2025
This bill makes it a crime for a physician to knowingly perform an abortion (1) without determining whether the unborn child has a detectable heartbeat, (2) without informing the mother of the results, or (3) after determining that an unborn child has a detectable heartbeat.
A physician who performs a prohibited abortion is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both.
The bill provides an exception for an abortion that is necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical (but not psychological or emotional) disorder, illness, or condition. It also provides exceptions for certain pregnancies that are the result of rape or incest. A physician who performs or attempts to perform an abortion under an exception must comply with specified requirements.
A woman who undergoes a prohibited abortion may not be prosecuted for violating or conspiring to violate the provisions of this bill.
Cosponsors 42
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 23, 2025 to Jul 21, 2026; 31 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-GA | Austin Scott | Original | Jan 23, 2025 |
| R-AL | Barry Moore | Original | Jan 23, 2025 |
| R-KY | Brett Guthrie | Original | Jan 23, 2025 |
| R-TN | Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann | Original | Jan 23, 2025 |
| R-NJ | Christopher H. Smith | Original | Jan 23, 2025 |
| R-NY | Claudia Tenney | Original | Jan 23, 2025 |
| R-TX | Dan Crenshaw | Original | Jan 23, 2025 |
| R-FL | Daniel Webster | Original | Jan 23, 2025 |
| R-IL | Darin LaHood | Original | Jan 23, 2025 |
| R-SD | Dusty Johnson | Original | Jan 23, 2025 |
| R-AZ | Elijah Crane | Original | Jan 23, 2025 |
| R-WI | Glenn Grothman | Original | Jan 23, 2025 |
| R-PA | Glenn Thompson | Original | Jan 23, 2025 |
| R-FL | Gus M. Bilirakis | Original | Jan 23, 2025 |
| R-IN | James R. Baird | Original | Jan 23, 2025 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jan 23, 2025 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 23, 2025Introduced in House
- Jan 23, 2025Referred 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
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 171, no. 14, January 23, 2025, page H388.
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit abortion in cases where a fetal heartbeat is detectable.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Heartbeat Protection Act of 2025
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 23, 2025Introduced 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.
