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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Telemedicine Safety 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION OF FEDERAL ASSISTANCE FOR TELE-
MEDICINE ABORTIONS. 
Title 1, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following new chapter: 
‘‘CHAPTER 4—PROHIBITION ON PROVI-
SION OF FUNDS TO PROVIDERS OF 
TELEMEDICINE SERVICES WHO PRO-
VIDE TELEMEDICINE ABORTIONS 
‘‘301. Prohibition on funds provided to providers of telemedicine services who 
provide telemedicine abortions. 
‘‘§ 301. Prohibition on funds to facilitate telemedicine 
abortions 
‘‘(a) No funds made available under a telemedicine 
law (as defined in subsection (c)) may be used for tele-
medicine abortions or for assistance to facilities that offer 
telemedicine abortions. 
‘‘(b) No equipment, infrastructure, or other items 
purchased using funds made available under a telemedi-
cine law may be used for telemedicine abortions. 
‘‘(c) In this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘telemedicine abortion’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 1842(a) of title 
18, United States Code. 
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‘‘(2) The term ‘telemedicine law’ means any of 
the following provisions of law insofar as each re-
lates to telemedicine services (as defined in such sec-
tion 1842(a)): 
‘‘(A) Chapter 1 of subtitle D of title XXIII 
of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and 
Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 950aaa et seq.). 
‘‘(B) Section 254(h)(1)(A) of the Commu-
nications 
Act 
of 
1934 
(47 
U.S.C. 
254(h)(1)(A)). 
‘‘(C) Sections 201 and 518 of the Indian 
Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 
1621, 1660h). 
‘‘(D) Sections 3011 and 3012 of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300jj–31, 300jj– 
32). 
‘‘(E) Sections 330A–1, 330D, 330F, 
330G, 330H, 330I, 330K, and 330L of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254c–1a, 
254c–4, 254c–6, 254c–7, 254c–8, 254c–9, 
254c–16, 254c–18).’’. 
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SEC. 3. PROHIBITION OF INTERSTATE TELEMEDICINE 
ABORTIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 90 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1841 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 1842. PROHIBITION OF INTERSTATE TELEMEDICINE 
ABORTIONS. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 
‘‘(1) TELEMEDICINE
ABORTION.—The term 
‘telemedicine abortion’ means the use by a health 
professional of telemedicine services to prescribe, 
dispense, procure, administer, or otherwise provide 
any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other sub-
stance, device, or method to terminate the life of an 
unborn child, or to terminate the pregnancy of a 
woman who is pregnant, without such health profes-
sional conducting an in-person medical examination 
of such woman during her current pregnancy, with 
an intention other than— 
‘‘(A) to produce a live birth and preserve 
the life and health of the child after live birth; 
or 
‘‘(B) to remove an ectopic pregnancy, or to 
remove a dead unborn child who died as the re-
sult of a spontaneous abortion, accidental trau-
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