I 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6536 

To amend the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 to require 

abortion providers to notify the national human trafficking hotline of 

victims of trafficking, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 1, 2022 

Mr. BUDD introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 

2015 to require abortion providers to notify the national 

human trafficking hotline of victims of trafficking, and 

for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Stopping Traffickers 

5 and Their Accomplices Act of 2022’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) Slavery and involuntary servitude are in2 compatible with American society and law. 

3 (2) The 13th Amendment to the United States 

4 Constitution abolished legal slavery and involuntary 

5 servitude in the United States. 

6 (3) Despite slavery being abolished in 1865, 

7 modern forms of slavery still exist throughout the 

8 United States. 

9 (4) Every year, hundreds of thousands of Amer10 icans and immigrants are coerced into commercial 

11 sex acts against their will. 

12 (5) In addition to sexual exploitation, victims of 

13 trafficking suffer repeated physical, mental, and 

14 emotional abuse at the hands of their traffickers. 

15 (6) Abortion providers and facilities aid sex 

16 traffickers by turning a blind eye to the plight of 

17 abused women. 

18 (7) The Department of State’s 2017 Traf19 ficking in Persons Report indicated that sex traf20 fickers coerce women into receiving abortions against 

21 their will. 

22 (8) Research conducted by Laura J. Lederer 

23 and Christopher A. Wetzel, entitled ‘‘The Health 

24 Consequences of Sex Trafficking and Their Implica25 tions for Identifying Victims in Healthcare FaciliVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:12 Feb 02, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6536.IH H6536

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1 ties’’ published in the Annals of Health Law Jour2 nal, indicated that 71 percent of women coerced into 

3 commercial sex acts reported at least one pregnancy 

4 and 21 percent reported five or more pregnancies 

5 while trafficked (23 Annals Health L. 61 (2014)). 

6 (9) Lederer and Wetzel’s research found that 

7 almost a third of women trafficked reported under8 went numerous abortions as victims of trafficking. 

9 More than half of respondents answered that their 

10 abortion while a victim of sex trafficking was a re11 sult of coercion. One victim of sex trafficking re12 counted, ‘‘[in most of my six abortions,] I was under 

13 serious pressure from my pimps to abort the ba14 bies’’. 

15 (10) A moral obligation exists to report sus16 pected instances of sex trafficking to authorities. 

17 (11) Section 2 of the 13th Amendment empow18 ers Congress to enact appropriate legislation to com19 bat all forms of slavery and involuntary servitude, 

20 including forced sex trafficking. 

21 SEC. 3. COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING. 

22 Section 114 of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking 

23 Act of 2015 (34 U.S.C. 20709) is amended by adding at 

24 the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(g) NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE NO2 TIFICATION BY ABORTION PROVIDERS.— 

3 ‘‘(1) REQUIREMENT.— 

4 ‘‘(A) NOTIFICATION TO NATIONAL HUMAN

5 TRAFFICKING HOTLINE.—Not later than 24 

6 hours after consulting with a patient, an abor7 tion provider shall notify the national human 

8 trafficking hotline if the provider has a reason9 able suspicion that the patient is a victim of 

10 trafficking. 

11 ‘‘(B) REPORT TO ATTORNEY GENERAL

12 AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.—Not later 

13 than 24 hours after an abortion provider noti14 fies the national human trafficking hotline 

15 under subparagraph (A), the Secretary of 

16 Health and Human Services shall notify the At17 torney General of such notification by the abor18 tion provider. Not later than 24 hours after re19 ceipt of a notification from the Secretary of 

20 Health and Human Services under this sub21 paragraph, the Attorney General shall notify 

22 the appropriate State and local law enforcement 

23 agencies. 

24 ‘‘(C) PENALTY.—An abortion provider who 

25 violates subparagraph (A) shall be fined 


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1 $10,000, imprisoned not more than 6 months, 

2 or both. 

3 ‘‘(2) TRAINING.— 

4 ‘‘(A) AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary of 

5 Health and Human Services shall make avail6 able to abortion providers the training entitled 

7 ‘Foundational (101) Human Trafficking 

8 Trainings—SOAR For Health Care’ (or any 

9 substantially similar successor training). 

10 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENT.—Each abortion pro11 vider shall complete the training provided under 

12 subparagraph (A) on an annual basis and prior 

13 to January 30 of each calendar year, and cer14 tify such completion to the Director of the Of15 fice on Trafficking in Persons of the Depart16 ment of Health and Human Services. The cer17 tification under this subparagraph shall include 

18 the protocols that the abortion provider has in 

19 place to identify and assist victims of traf20 ficking. 

21 ‘‘(C) PENALTY.—An abortion provider who 

22 fails to comply with subparagraph (B) shall be 

23 subject to a fine in an amount of $1,000 per 

24 day of noncompliance. 

25 ‘‘(3) RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) NO REQUIREMENT FOR VICTIMS OF

2 TRAFFICKING TO SELF-REPORT.—Nothing in 

3 this subsection may be construed to require a 

4 victim of trafficking to self-report. 

5 ‘‘(B) NO RIGHT TO ABORTION.—Nothing 

6 in this subsection may be construed to provide 

7 a right to an abortion. 

8 ‘‘(4) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

9 ‘‘(A) The term ‘abortion provider’ means a 

10 person who— 

11 ‘‘(i) performs an abortion and is li12 censed to practice medicine and surgery or 

13 osteopathic medicine and surgery; or 

14 ‘‘(ii) is otherwise legally authorized to 

15 perform an abortion. 

16 ‘‘(B) The term ‘victim of trafficking’ has 

17 the meaning given to such term in section 103 

18 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 

19 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102).’’. 

Æ 


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