I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 732 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit taking minors across 

State lines in circumvention of laws requiring the involvement of parents 

in abortion decisions. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 14, 2013 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mrs. BLACK, Mr. BOUSTANY, Mr. BRADY of 

Texas, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. JONES, Mr. DESJARLAIS, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. MARCHANT, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. GRIFFITH

of Virginia, Mr. NEUGEBAUER, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. COLE, Mr. HALL, Mr. 

GARRETT, Mr. MICA, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. FINCHER, Mr. 

POMPEO, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. POE of Texas, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Mr. 

GRIFFIN of Arkansas, Mr. STIVERS, Mr. CARTER, Mr. RODNEY DAVIS

of Illinois, Mrs. HARTZLER, Mr. NUNNELEE, Mr. WALBERG, Mr. 

RIBBLE, Mr. MULVANEY, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. BENISHEK, Mr. FLEMING, 

Mr. CALVERT, Mr. KELLY, Mr. PALAZZO, Mr. WENSTRUP, Mr. 

HULTGREN, Mr. JORDAN, Mr. PEARCE, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, 

Mr. GUTHRIE, Mr. WESTMORELAND, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. HUELSKAMP, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. TERRY, Mr. MILLER of 

Florida, Mr. SHUSTER, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. TIBERI, Mr. HUIZENGA of 

Michigan, Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky, Mr. LATTA, Mr. KING of New York, 

Mr. OLSON, Mr. GRAVES of Missouri, Mr. HENSARLING, Mr. RAHALL, 

Mr. TURNER, Mrs. BACHMANN, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. MURPHY of Pennsylvania, Mr. MULLIN, and Mr. SCALISE) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit taking 

minors across State lines in circumvention of laws requiring the involvement of parents in abortion decisions. 


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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Child Interstate Abor5 tion Notification Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TRANSPORTATION OF MINORS IN CIRCUMVENTION 

7 OF CERTAIN LAWS RELATING TO ABORTION. 

8 Title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting 

9 after chapter 117 the following: 

10 ‘‘CHAPTER 117A—TRANSPORTATION OF 

11 MINORS IN CIRCUMVENTION OF CER12 TAIN LAWS RELATING TO ABORTION 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘2431. Transportation of minors in circumvention of certain laws relating to 

abortion. 

‘‘2432. Transportation of minors in circumvention of certain laws relating to 

abortion. 

13 ‘‘§ 2431. Transportation of minors in circumvention of 

14 certain laws relating to abortion 

15 ‘‘(a) OFFENSE.— 

16 ‘‘(1) GENERALLY.—Except as provided in sub17 section (b), whoever knowingly transports a minor 

18 across a State line, with the intent that such minor 

19 obtain an abortion, and thereby in fact abridges the 

20 right of a parent under a law requiring parental in21 volvement in a minor’s abortion decision, in force in 

22 the State where the minor resides, shall be fined 


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1 under this title or imprisoned not more than one 

2 year, or both. 

3 ‘‘(2) DEFINITION.—For the purposes of this 

4 subsection, an abridgement of the right of a parent 

5 occurs if an abortion is performed or induced on the 

6 minor, in a State or a foreign nation other than the 

7 State where the minor resides, without the parental 

8 consent or notification, or the judicial authorization, 

9 that would have been required by that law had the 

10 abortion been performed in the State where the 

11 minor resides. 

12 ‘‘(b) EXCEPTIONS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) The prohibition of subsection (a) does not 

14 apply if the abortion was necessary to save the life 

15 of the minor because her life was endangered by a 

16 physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness, 

17 including a life endangering physical condition 

18 caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself. 

19 ‘‘(2) A minor transported in violation of this 

20 section, and any parent of that minor, may not be 

21 prosecuted or sued for a violation of this section, a 

22 conspiracy to violate this section, or an offense 

23 under section 2 or 3 of this title based on a violation 

24 of this section. 


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1 ‘‘(c) AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE.—It is an affirmative 

2 defense to a prosecution for an offense, or to a civil action, 

3 based on a violation of this section that the defendant— 

4 ‘‘(1) reasonably believed, based on information 

5 the defendant obtained directly from a parent of the 

6 minor, that before the minor obtained the abortion, 

7 the parental consent or notification took place that 

8 would have been required by the law requiring pa9 rental involvement in a minor’s abortion decision, 

10 had the abortion been performed in the State where 

11 the minor resides; or 

12 ‘‘(2) was presented with documentation showing 

13 with a reasonable degree of certainty that a court in 

14 the minor’s State of residence waived any parental 

15 notification required by the laws of that State, or 

16 otherwise authorized that the minor be allowed to 

17 procure an abortion. 

18 ‘‘(d) CIVIL ACTION.—Any parent who suffers harm 

19 from a violation of subsection (a) may obtain appropriate 

20 relief in a civil action unless the parent has committed 

21 an act of incest with the minor subject to subsection (a). 

22 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this sec23 tion— 


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1 ‘‘(1) the term ‘abortion’ means the use or pre2 scription of any instrument, medicine, drug, or any 

3 other substance or device— 

4 ‘‘(A) to intentionally kill the unborn child 

5 of a woman known to be pregnant; or 

6 ‘‘(B) to intentionally prematurely termi7 nate the pregnancy of a woman known to be 

8 pregnant, with an intention other than to in9 crease the probability of a live birth or of pre10 serving the life or health of the child after live 

11 birth, or to remove a dead unborn child; 

12 ‘‘(2) the term ‘law requiring parental involve13 ment in a minor’s abortion decision’ means a law— 

14 ‘‘(A) requiring, before an abortion is per15 formed on a minor, either— 

16 ‘‘(i) the notification to, or consent of, 

17 a parent of that minor; or 

18 ‘‘(ii) proceedings in a State court; and 

19 ‘‘(B) that does not provide as an alter20 native to the requirements described in sub21 paragraph (A) notification to or consent of any 

22 person or entity who is not described in that 

23 subparagraph; 

24 ‘‘(3) the term ‘minor’ means an individual who 

25 is not older than the maximum age requiring parenVerDate Mar 15 2010 21:48 Feb 26, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H732.IH H732

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1 tal notification or consent, or proceedings in a State 

2 court, under the law requiring parental involvement 

3 in a minor’s abortion decision; 

4 ‘‘(4) the term ‘parent’ means— 

5 ‘‘(A) a parent or guardian; 

6 ‘‘(B) a legal custodian; or 

7 ‘‘(C) a person standing in loco parentis 

8 who has care and control of the minor, and 

9 with whom the minor regularly resides, who is 

10 designated by the law requiring parental in11 volvement in the minor’s abortion decision as a 

12 person to whom notification, or from whom con13 sent, is required; and 

14 ‘‘(5) the term ‘State’ includes the District of 

15 Columbia and any commonwealth, possession, or 

16 other territory of the United States, and any Indian 

17 tribe or reservation. 

18 ‘‘§ 2432. Transportation of minors in circumvention of 

19 certain laws relating to abortion 

20 ‘‘Notwithstanding section 2431(b)(2), whoever has 

21 committed an act of incest with a minor and knowingly 

22 transports the minor across a State line with the intent 

23 that such minor obtain an abortion, shall be fined under 

24 this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. 

25 For the purposes of this section, the terms ‘State’, ‘minor’, 


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1 and ‘abortion’ have, respectively, the definitions given 

2 those terms in section 2435.’’. 

3 SEC. 3. CHILD INTERSTATE ABORTION NOTIFICATION. 

4 Title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting 

5 after chapter 117A the following: 

6 ‘‘CHAPTER 117B—CHILD INTERSTATE 

7 ABORTION NOTIFICATION 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘2435. Child interstate abortion notification. 

8 ‘‘§ 2435. Child interstate abortion notification 

9 ‘‘(a) OFFENSE.— 

10 ‘‘(1) GENERALLY.—A physician who knowingly 

11 performs or induces an abortion on a minor in viola12 tion of the requirements of this section shall be fined 

13 under this title or imprisoned not more than one 

14 year, or both. 

15 ‘‘(2) PARENTAL NOTIFICATION.—A physician 

16 who performs or induces an abortion on a minor 

17 who is a resident of a State other than the State in 

18 which the abortion is performed must provide, or 

19 cause his or her agent to provide, at least 24 hours 

20 actual notice to a parent of the minor before per21 forming the abortion. If actual notice to such parent 

22 is not accomplished after a reasonable effort has 

23 been made, at least 24 hours constructive notice 


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1 must be given to a parent before the abortion is per2 formed. 

3 ‘‘(b) EXCEPTIONS.—The notification requirement of 

4 subsection (a)(2) does not apply if— 

5 ‘‘(1) the abortion is performed or induced in a 

6 State that has, in force, a law requiring parental in7 volvement in a minor’s abortion decision and the 

8 physician complies with the requirements of that 

9 law; 

10 ‘‘(2) the physician is presented with documenta11 tion showing with a reasonable degree of certainty 

12 that a court in the minor’s State of residence has 

13 waived any parental notification required by the laws 

14 of that State, or has otherwise authorized that the 

15 minor be allowed to procure an abortion; 

16 ‘‘(3) the minor declares in a signed written 

17 statement that she is the victim of sexual abuse, ne18 glect, or physical abuse by a parent, and, before an 

19 abortion is performed on the minor, the physician 

20 notifies the authorities specified to receive reports of 

21 child abuse or neglect by the law of the State in 

22 which the minor resides of the known or suspected 

23 abuse or neglect; 

24 ‘‘(4) the abortion is necessary to save the life 

25 of the minor because her life was endangered by a 


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1 physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness, 

2 including a life endangering physical condition 

3 caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself, but 

4 an exception under this paragraph does not apply 

5 unless the attending physician or an agent of such 

6 physician, within 24 hours after completion of the 

7 abortion, notifies a parent in writing that an abor8 tion was performed on the minor and of the cir9 cumstances that warranted invocation of this para10 graph; or 

11 ‘‘(5) the minor is physically accompanied by a 

12 person who presents the physician or his agent with 

13 documentation showing with a reasonable degree of 

14 certainty that he or she is in fact the parent of that 

15 minor. 

16 ‘‘(c) CIVIL ACTION.—Any parent who suffers harm 

17 from a violation of subsection (a) may obtain appropriate 

18 relief in a civil action unless the parent has committed 

19 an act of incest with the minor subject to subsection (a). 

20 ‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this sec21 tion— 

22 ‘‘(1) the term ‘abortion’ means the use or pre23 scription of any instrument, medicine, drug, or any 

24 other substance or device— 


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1 ‘‘(A) to intentionally kill the unborn child 

2 of a woman known to be pregnant; or 

3 ‘‘(B) to intentionally prematurely termi4 nate the pregnancy of a woman known to be 

5 pregnant, with an intention other than to in6 crease the probability of a live birth or of pre7 serving the life or health of the child after live 

8 birth, or to remove a dead unborn child; 

9 ‘‘(2) the term ‘actual notice’ means the giving 

10 of written notice directly, in person, by the physician 

11 or any agent of the physician; 

12 ‘‘(3) the term ‘constructive notice’ means notice 

13 that is given by certified mail, return receipt re14 quested, restricted delivery to the last known ad15 dress of the person being notified, with delivery 

16 deemed to have occurred 48 hours following noon on 

17 the next day subsequent to mailing on which regular 

18 mail delivery takes place, days on which mail is not 

19 delivered excluded; 

20 ‘‘(4) the term ‘law requiring parental involve21 ment in a minor’s abortion decision’ means a law— 

22 ‘‘(A) requiring, before an abortion is per23 formed on a minor, either— 

24 ‘‘(i) the notification to, or consent of, 

25 a parent of that minor; or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) proceedings in a State court; 

2 ‘‘(B) that does not provide as an alter3 native to the requirements described in sub4 paragraph (A) notification to or consent of any 

5 person or entity who is not described in that 

6 subparagraph; 

7 ‘‘(5) the term ‘minor’ means an individual who 

8 has not attained the age of 18 years and who is not 

9 emancipated under the law of the State in which the 

10 minor resides; 

11 ‘‘(6) the term ‘parent’ means— 

12 ‘‘(A) a parent or guardian; 

13 ‘‘(B) a legal custodian; or 

14 ‘‘(C) a person standing in loco parentis 

15 who has care and control of the minor, and 

16 with whom the minor regularly resides; 

17 as determined by State law; 

18 ‘‘(7) the term ‘physician’ means a doctor of 

19 medicine legally authorized to practice medicine by 

20 the State in which such doctor practices medicine, or 

21 any other person legally empowered under State law 

22 to perform an abortion; and 

23 ‘‘(8) the term ‘State’ includes the District of 

24 Columbia and any commonwealth, possession, or 


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1 other territory of the United States, and any Indian 

2 tribe or reservation.’’. 

3 SEC. 4. CLERICAL AMENDMENT. 

4 The table of chapters at the beginning of part I of 

5 title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after 

6 the item relating to chapter 117 the following new items: 

‘‘117A. Transportation of minors in circumvention of certain laws relating to abortion ........................... 2431

‘‘117B. Child interstate abortion notification ......................... 2435’’. 

7 SEC. 5. SEVERABILITY AND EFFECTIVE DATE. 

8 (a) The provisions of this Act shall be severable. If 

9 any provision of this Act, or any application thereof, is 

10 found unconstitutional, that finding shall not affect any 

11 provision or application of the Act not so adjudicated. 

12 (b) This Act and the amendments made by this Act 

13 shall take effect 45 days after the date of enactment of 

14 this Act. 

Æ 


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