Dignity for Aborted Children Act
Latest action · Jan 28, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
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 28, 2025
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Dignity for Aborted Children Act
This bill establishes requirements for abortion providers with respect to the disposal of human fetal tissue from an abortion.
Specifically, it requires abortion providers to obtain a patient's informed consent for one of two specified methods of disposition and to retain the corresponding documentation in the patient's file.
First, patients may choose to retain possession of the tissue. A patient may choose to transfer the tissue to an entity that provides interment or cremation services.
Second, patients may choose to release the tissue to the provider. Providers must ensure any tissue released to them is interred or cremated within seven days of the procedure in a manner consistent with state law regarding the disposal of human remains.
Abortion providers must submit reports annually to the Department of Health and Human Services about these requirements and other specified information.
The bill establishes civil penalties for violations of the requirement to retain documentation of informed consent, and it establishes criminal penalties for violations of the requirement regarding the disposal of human fetal tissue.
Cosponsors 8
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 28, 2025 to Feb 4, 2025; 7 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-TN | Andrew Ogles | Original | Jan 28, 2025 |
| R-MD | Andy Harris | Original | Jan 28, 2025 |
| R-AL | Barry Moore | Original | Jan 28, 2025 |
| R-TX | Brian Babin | Original | Jan 28, 2025 |
| R-FL | Daniel Webster | Original | Jan 28, 2025 |
| R-TX | Randy K. Weber, Sr. | Original | Jan 28, 2025 |
| R-WV | Riley M. Moore | Original | Jan 28, 2025 |
| R-NC | Mark Harris | Feb 4, 2025 |
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 28, 2025 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 28, 2025Introduced in House
- Jan 28, 2025Referred 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. 171, no. 18, January 28, 2025, page H407.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 242 | Dignity for Aborted Children Act | Identical bill | Jan 24, 2025 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To protect the dignity of fetal remains, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Dignity for Aborted Children Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 28, 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.
