Dignity for Aborted Children Act
Sponsored By: Senator Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE]
Introduced
Summary
Creates federal rules for the disposal of human fetal tissue after an abortion. This bill would require patients to choose in writing whether to keep the tissue or release it to the abortion provider, and it would require providers who accept tissue to ensure final disposition by interment or cremation within seven days.
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- Patients would sign a form choosing to take possession of fetal tissue or to release it to the provider for disposal.
- Providers who accept tissue would have to retain the signed consent in the patient's file and inter or cremate released tissue within seven days, following State law on human remains.
- Providers would send annual reports to the Department of Health and Human Services with counts of abortions, gestational ages, and disposal methods, and the Secretary would report to Congress by State and procedure type. Failing to keep consent records could bring civil fines up to $50,000 and improper disposal could carry criminal penalties of up to 5 years in prison.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
New disposal rules for providers
If enacted, an abortion provider who accepts fetal tissue from a patient would have to bury or cremate that tissue no later than seven days after the procedure, consistent with State law. The provider could do a collective interment or cremation for tissue from multiple procedures. Failure to follow the disposal rule could bring criminal penalties under federal law, including fines and up to five years in prison.
New patient choice and consent
If enacted, your abortion provider would have to give you a written consent form with two choices for fetal tissue: you could take the tissue or release it to the provider. The provider would need your signature and must keep the form in your file. Providers who fail to keep required consent forms could face civil fines up to $50,000. If enacted, a patient who had an abortion that violated the disposal rule could not be prosecuted for certain federal offenses related to that violation.
Provider reporting and state rules
If enacted, each abortion provider covered by the consent rule would have to send an annual report to the Secretary with the total number of abortions they did, the gestational ages, and for non-chemical abortions, how many fetal remains were buried or cremated and how many were returned to patients. The Secretary would have to give Congress an annual report by State, procedure type, and disposal method. The section would not override any State law that already requires burial or cremation like other human remains.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE]
NE • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]
OK • R
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT]
MT • R
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN]
IN • R
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Steve Daines
MT • R
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID]
ID • R
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Mike Rounds
SD • R
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Roger Wicker
MS • R
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Eric Schmitt
MO • R
Sponsored 1/24/2025
James Justice
WV • R
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC]
NC • R
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Josh Hawley
MO • R
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]
TX • R
Sponsored 8/1/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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