Abortion-related bills continue to be introduced and debated in legislatures across the country, especially in states where the procedure is already banned. It can be challenging to keep track of them all, so the States Newsroom’s Reproductive Rights Today team tracks specific bills that could become law in their respective states in a biweekly legislative roundup. Depending on the partisan makeup of a state’s legislature and other government officials, some bills have a higher chance of passing and becoming law than others.
Alabama
House Bill 279: This law gives individuals the right to operate contraceptives and gives health care providers the right to distribute them and provide instructions for their operate. according to Alabama Reflector. The House Judiciary Committee has approved the bill, but it is running out of time in the legislative session to receive approval from both chambers, the Reflector reported.
Status: Removed from committee, awaiting consideration in the House of Representatives
sponsor: Democratic Representative Anthony Daniels
Kansas
Republican lawmakers in Kansas continue to introduce abortion-related bills, even though Kansas voters overwhelmingly rejected abortion bans in a referendum held shortly after the Dobbs decision in 2022. Abortion is legal in Kansas, and six clinics offer services locally.
Senate Bill 28: The Kansas legislature approved $2 million for the Pregnancy Compassion Awareness Program as part of a state budget proposal. The funds are intended to “improve and increase resources that promote births rather than abortions” for people dealing with unwanted pregnancies, which are the kind of efforts that take place in crisis pregnancy centers, Kansas Reflector reported.
Status: Waiting for action from Governor Laura Kelly; state law allows 10 days for a bill to be signed, vetoed, or enacted without a signature.
Sponsor: Kansas Insurance Department
Senate Bill 232: Lawmakers also overwhelmingly approved a bill that would change the state’s child support guidelines to include fetuses and calculate support amounts from the time of conception. The measure will cost the state at least $487,000 a year, plus the additional cost of “in utero genetic testing,” which could cost another $242,000 a year.
Status: Waiting for action from the governor
Sponsor: Senate Judiciary Committee
House Bill 2749: This bill, which would require abortion providers to ask patients why they want to terminate their pregnancy, asking questions about age, marital status, domestic violence and the method of abortion, is still awaiting the governor’s decision. The bill was pushed by Kansans for Life, the main group that pushed the failed 2022 referendum to allow abortion bans in the state. It would also apply to minors.
Status: Waiting for action from Governor Laura Kelly
Sponsor: Requested on behalf of Kansans for Life by Republican Representative Ron Bryce
House Bill 2436: This bill addresses “abortion coercion” and makes it a crime to pressure anyone to have an abortion, including doctors, family members and partners. After amendments in the Senate, the penalties were increased to one year in prison and a $5,000 fine for all offenders, but to $10,000 if the accused person is the father of the fetus. In the case of coercion that occurs in connection with rape, stalking, extortion, human trafficking or other crimes, the court could impose a prison sentence of 25 years, according to Kansas Reflector.
Status: Waiting for action from the governor
Sponsor: Republican Representative Rebecca Schmoe
Louisiana
In Louisiana, abortion is prohibited at any stage of pregnancy, with exceptions to save the life of a pregnant patient, preserve her health, or in cases of fatal fetal abnormalities.
Senate Bill 276: This bill creates a modern law that makes it a crime to force someone to take abortion medication. Louisiana Illuminator reported. The bill carries penalties of five to 10 years in prison and fines of $10,000 to $75,000, or 10 to 20 years and $50,000 to $100,000 in fines if the pregnancy lasts longer than three months. The bill is sponsored by Senator Thomas Pressly, whose sister Catherine Herring suffered complications after her husband slipped abortion pills into her drinks without her knowledge. Her husband, Mason Herring, was sentenced in February to 180 days in prison and 10 years probation.
Status: Awaiting Senate review
Sponsor: Republican Senator Thomas Pressly
Maine
Abortion is largely legal in Maine, with no age limit.
Legislative Document 227: Lawmakers passed a protection law to protect public health professionals who provide reproductive and gender reassignment care, Maine Morning Star reportedIt joins 22 states and Washington, DC, that have passed such a law that protects health care providers from lawsuits over the provision of abortion services. It also prevents law enforcement from sharing information about legal proceedings with other states.
Status: Passed by both chambers and forwarded to Democratic Governor Janet Mills
Sponsor: Democratic Representative Anne Perry
Legislative Document 780: A bill that would have allowed voters to vote on whether to amend the state constitution to include abortion rights in the constitution failed to gain the required number of votes, according to Maine Morning StarIt would have required the support of two-thirds of parliamentarians, but it would not have worked.
Status: Defeated
Sponsor: Democratic Senator Eloise Vitelli
Missouri
In Missouri, almost all abortions are illegal.
House Bill 2634: This law prohibits the spending of any public funds on abortion clinics or their subsidiaries or affiliates, including Medicaid through the MO HealthNet program. Reports from the Missouri Independent The bill targets Planned Parenthood clinics, which do not perform abortions in Missouri but may issue referrals to clinics in other states for abortions. The clinics provide contraception, testing for sexually transmitted diseases and cancer, and general health visits. Despite an 11-hour blockade by Democrats, Republicans passed the bill. The House of Representatives had already passed it once.
Status: Passed by the Senate, awaits final approval by the House of Representatives
Sponsor: Republican Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman
Tennessee
In Tennessee, almost all abortions are illegal.
House of Representatives Bill of 1895: This law makes it a misdemeanor to assist a minor get an abortion out of state, which is sometimes called “human trafficking,” including the act of procuring abortion pills for a minor, regardless of where the pills were obtained. It does not apply to parents or guardians, but all other violators are subject to a Class A misdemeanor, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in prison. Those penalties were reduced from the original bill, which made the act a felony. It also includes a civil cause of action. Democrats have criticized the law for its potential impact on incest victims, who could be forced to seek the guilty parent’s permission to have an abortion. to Tennessee Lookout.
Status: Passed by the Senate, awaits consideration in the House of Representatives
Sponsor: Republican Representative Jason Zachary
