I 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5731 

To prohibit Federal assistance for telemedicine abortions and to ban interstate 

abortions using telemedicine technology. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 10, 2012 

Mr. KING of Iowa (for himself, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. PITTS, Mr. 

JONES, Mr. HULTGREN, Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan, Mr. MURPHY of 

Pennsylvania, Mr. LANKFORD, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. CANSECO, Mr. ROSS

of Florida, Mr. LANDRY, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mrs. MYRICK, Mrs. SCHMIDT, 

Mr. BENISHEK, Mrs. HARTZLER, Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio, Mr. MCHENRY, 

Mr. SOUTHERLAND, Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina, Mr. HUELSKAMP, 

Mr. PEARCE, Mr. MANZULLO, Mr. COLE, Mr. FLEISCHMANN, Mr. 

DESJARLAIS, Mr. ROE of Tennessee, Mr. NEUGEBAUER, Mr. 

SCHWEIKERT, Mrs. ELLMERS, Mr. GARRETT, Mr. FLORES, Mr. HARRIS, 

Mrs. BLACK, Mr. JORDAN, Mr. MARCHANT, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. 

BARTLETT, Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina, Mr. BRADY of Texas, Mrs. 

BACHMANN, Mr. FLEMING, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mr. KELLY, Mr. 

MCCOTTER, Mr. LAMBORN, and Mr. BROUN of Georgia) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and 

in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Energy and Commerce, 

and Natural Resources, 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 

A BILL 

To prohibit Federal assistance for telemedicine abortions and 

to ban interstate abortions using telemedicine technology. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Telemedicine Safety 

3 Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION OF FEDERAL ASSISTANCE FOR TELE5 MEDICINE ABORTIONS. 

6 Title 1, United States Code, is amended by adding 

7 at the end the following new chapter: 

8 ‘‘CHAPTER 4—PROHIBITION ON PROVI9 SION OF FUNDS TO PROVIDERS OF 

10 TELEMEDICINE SERVICES WHO PRO11 VIDE TELEMEDICINE ABORTIONS 

‘‘301. Prohibition on funds provided to providers of telemedicine services who 

provide telemedicine abortions. 

12 ‘‘§ 301. Prohibition on funds to facilitate telemedicine 

13 abortions 

14 ‘‘(a) No funds made available under a telemedicine 

15 law (as defined in subsection (c)) may be used for tele16 medicine abortions or for assistance to facilities that offer 

17 telemedicine abortions. 

18 ‘‘(b) No equipment, infrastructure, or other items 

19 purchased using funds made available under a telemedi20 cine law may be used for telemedicine abortions. 

21 ‘‘(c) In this section: 

22 ‘‘(1) The term ‘telemedicine abortion’ has the 

23 meaning given such term in section 1842(a) of title 

24 18, United States Code. 


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1 ‘‘(2) The term ‘telemedicine law’ means any of 

2 the following provisions of law insofar as each re3 lates to telemedicine services (as defined in such sec4 tion 1842(a)): 

5 ‘‘(A) Chapter 1 of subtitle D of title XXIII 

6 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and 

7 Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 950aaa et seq.). 

8 ‘‘(B) Section 254(h)(1)(A) of the Commu9 nications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 

10 254(h)(1)(A)). 

11 ‘‘(C) Sections 201 and 518 of the Indian 

12 Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 

13 1621, 1660h). 

14 ‘‘(D) Sections 3011 and 3012 of the Public 

15 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300jj–31, 300jj– 

16 32). 

17 ‘‘(E) Sections 330A–1, 330D, 330F, 

18 330G, 330H, 330I, 330K, and 330L of the 

19 Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254c–1a, 

20 254c–4, 254c–6, 254c–7, 254c–8, 254c–9, 

21 254c–16, 254c–18).’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. PROHIBITION OF INTERSTATE TELEMEDICINE 

2 ABORTIONS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 90 of title 18, United 

4 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1841 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 1842. PROHIBITION OF INTERSTATE TELEMEDICINE 

7 ABORTIONS. 

8 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 

9 ‘‘(1) TELEMEDICINE ABORTION.—The term 

10 ‘telemedicine abortion’ means the use by a health 

11 professional of telemedicine services to prescribe, 

12 dispense, procure, administer, or otherwise provide 

13 any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other sub14 stance, device, or method to terminate the life of an 

15 unborn child, or to terminate the pregnancy of a 

16 woman who is pregnant, without such health profes17 sional conducting an in-person medical examination 

18 of such woman during her current pregnancy, with 

19 an intention other than— 

20 ‘‘(A) to produce a live birth and preserve 

21 the life and health of the child after live birth; 

22 or 

23 ‘‘(B) to remove an ectopic pregnancy, or to 

24 remove a dead unborn child who died as the re25 sult of a spontaneous abortion, accidental trauVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:29 May 13, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5731.IH H5731

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1 ma, or a criminal assault on the pregnant fe2 male or her unborn child. 

3 ‘‘(2) TELEMEDICINE SERVICES.—The term 

4 ‘telemedicine services’ means a telecommunications 

5 link to an end user through the use of equipment 

6 that electronically links patients and health profes7 sionals at separate sites in order to exchange health 

8 care information in audio, video, graphic, or other 

9 format for the purpose of providing health care serv10 ices. 

11 ‘‘(3) IN-PERSON.—The term ‘in-person’ in the 

12 same room and in the physical presence of the 

13 woman. 

14 ‘‘(b) BAN ON INTERSTATE ABORTIONS USING TELE15 MEDICINE TECHNOLOGY.—Whoever knowingly provides a 

16 telemedicine abortion across State lines shall be fined 

17 under this title or imprisoned not more than 1 year, or 

18 both.’’. 

19 (b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

20 for chapter 90 of title 18, United States Code, is amended 

21 by inserting after the item relating to section 1841 the 

22 following: 

‘‘1842. Prohibition of interstate telemedicine abortions.’’. 

Æ 


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