Bill Details
HRES.65 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-01-24 - Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced Date
2025-01-24
Policy Area
Health
Committees
View committees (2)
7
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AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This House resolution says Congress supports the right to access medication abortion and opposes efforts to use old federal obscenity laws to limit it. It argues that current federal law already allows certain abortion-related drugs to be mailed or distributed when they are being used legally, and it says attempts to block access to these medicines would harm personal health care choices and could also threaten the shipping of basic medical supplies. The resolution also condemns limits on reproductive health care coverage, including coverage for drugs like mifepristone.
- It states that the federal Comstock Act should not be read to ban the mailing or delivery of lawful abortion medicines.
- It cites a 2022 Justice Department legal opinion saying a mailing is not barred if the sender does not intend the drugs to be used unlawfully.
- It says most Americans support abortion access and oppose a nationwide abortion ban.
- It urges continued access to and coverage for reproductive health care, including medication abortion.
Official Summaries
This resolution expresses that the House of Representatives (1) affirms that federal law authorizes the distribution of medication abortion, including by mail, as stated in a 2022 Department of Justice memorandum; and (2) condemns restrictions on the access and coverage of reproductive health care, including medication abortion.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 65 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 65
Reaffirming the freedom to decide and expressing continued support for
medication abortion access.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 24, 2025
Mr. Gottheimer submitted the following resolution; which was referred
to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the
Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined
by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as
fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Reaffirming the freedom to decide and expressing continued support for
medication abortion access.
Whereas antiabortion extremists are desperate to ban abortion nationwide and are
trying to misuse a centuries-old zombie law to achieve their goals;
Whereas there is a settled understanding of the Comstock Act for nearly a
century, and the Department of Justice, the courts, and Congress have
made clear that the Comstock laws do not apply to lawful abortions;
Whereas the majority of the public supports abortion access, and an overwhelming
majority of Americans (80 percent) oppose a Federal law banning abortion
nationwide;
Whereas antiabortion extremists are waging a war on reproductive rights,
including the ability to make personal, private health care decisions;
Whereas misusing, misapplying, and misinterpreting the Comstock Act would be yet
another attempt to attack access to medication abortion, a safe and
effective health care option;
Whereas misusing, misapplying, and misinterpreting the Comstock Act could
threaten certain shipping and transportation of basic medical materials;
and
Whereas misusing, misapplying, and misinterpreting the Comstock Act could
further threaten and endanger sexual and reproductive health: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) affirms the existing authority to distribute medication
abortion under Federal law, as confirmed by the December 23,
2022, Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel
Memorandum Opinion for the General Counsel of the United States
Postal Service which states in part that ``Section 1461 of
title 18 of the U.S. Code does not prohibit the mailing of
certain drugs that can be used to perform abortions where the
sender lacks the intent that the recipient of the drugs will
use them unlawfully.''; and
(2) condemns restrictions on access to and coverage of
reproductive health care, including medication abortion like
mifepristone.
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