I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2469 
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to evaluate the 
benefits of abortion doula care and coverage. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 27, 2025 
Ms. STRICKLAND (for herself and Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 
evaluate the benefits of abortion doula care and coverage. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Abortion Data and 
Outreach to Unlock and Leverage Abortion Support Act’’ 
or the ‘‘Abortion DOULAS Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ABORTION DOULA CARE.—The term ‘‘abor-
tion doula care’’ means the provision of emotional, 
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social, informational, and physical support by non- 
clinical, trained professionals (commonly known as 
‘‘abortion doulas’’) to individuals before, during, and 
after medication and procedural abortions, including 
such provision of practical support, patient naviga-
tion support, patient advocacy, and postabortion 
care. 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 
SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Abortion doulas provide critical support to 
patients and families before, during, and after medi-
cation and procedural abortions. Abortion doula care 
can encompass physical, social, and emotional sup-
port; information sharing, advocacy, and education; 
and personal care, such as planning meals or pro-
viding childcare. Abortion doula care may be individ-
ualized, culturally and linguistically congruent, and 
trauma-informed. 
(2) Abortion doulas work in a variety of envi-
ronments, including hospitals, clinics, clients’ homes, 
and community spaces, and in both telehealth and 
in-person care settings. They may work independ-
ently, through a collective or community-based orga-
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nization, as part of a local health department, or 
through or in close partnership with a health care 
system or health plan. 
(3) While research has shown that doula sup-
port to parents during labor, birth, and the 
postpartum period is associated with better birthing 
experiences and healthier outcomes for both parents 
and infants, existing evidence on doula support dur-
ing other reproductive health care events, such as 
abortion, miscarriage, or stillbirth, is more limited. 
(4) A 2015 National Institutes of Health study 
found that nearly all the women who had doulas 
present during first-trimester procedural abortions 
reported satisfaction with the doula care they re-
ceived, with many expressing support for greater in-
volvement of abortion doulas in abortion care. 
(5) In a randomized controlled trial of doula 
support during first-trimester procedural abortions, 
96 percent of women who received doula support 
recommended that it be incorporated into routine 
abortion care, and 72 percent of women who had not 
received doula support wished they had received it. 
(6) The Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. 
Jackson Women’s Health Organization and its im-
pact on communities across our nation have made 
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access to abortion doula care more important than 
ever. 
(7) The Dobbs decision has had an outsized im-
pact on people who already face barriers to health 
care access, particularly Black people, Indigenous 
people, people of color, disabled people, undocu-
mented immigrants, low-income individuals and fam-
ilies, young people, people in rural communities, and 
people with limited English proficiency. The care 
that doulas provide, which often includes culturally 
competent patient advocacy and coordination with 
health 
care 
providers, 
can 
help 
medically 
marginalized patients confront heightened challenges 
to accessing appropriate medical care. Abortion 
doulas with a lived understanding of the commu-
nities in which they work can leverage local social 
support and connect clients and their families with 
community resources that best meet their needs. 
(8) Additionally, in the confusing legal land-
scape of abortion access after the Dobbs decision, 
abortion doulas help people navigate misinformation 
and combat the shame and stigma around abortion 
that restrictions may have exacerbated. 
(9) There are several barriers to accessing 
doula care. 
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(10) Barriers include limited awareness of 
doula services among pregnant patients and their 
families, members of the perinatal care workforce, 
and other health care professionals. 
(11) The cost of doula care is another barrier 
to access, particularly for Black people, Indigenous 
people, people of color, people in rural communities, 
and low-income individuals and families. 
(12) Doulas themselves face challenges such as 
barriers to entering the field, insufficient support 
during the Medicaid credentialing process, and low 
Medicaid reimbursement rates. As a result, abortion 
doulas are often unpaid and operate within a volun-
teer infrastructure. 
(13) Many State Medicaid programs still do not 
cover doula services despite growing interest in ex-
panding State Medicaid coverage to include doula 
care. Private insurance coverage of doula care is 
more limited. State Medicaid and private insurance 
plans that do include doula care often do not include 
support for abortion doula care. 
SEC. 4. STUDY ON THE BENEFITS OF ABORTION DOULA 
CARE AND COVERAGE. 
(a) STUDY.—The Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, in coordination, as appropriate, with the Director 
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of the Office of Minority Health and the Director of the 
Office on Women’s Health, shall conduct and complete a 
study on the benefits of abortion doula care and coverage. 
Such study shall include an assessment of the following: 
(1) The impact of abortion doula care on the 
well-being of individuals seeking abortions, including 
patient experience before, during, and after seeking 
care. 
(2) The potential of abortion doula care to en-
hance the quality of care provided before, during, 
and after abortions. 
(3) The role of abortion doulas in providing in-
formational, logistical, and practical support to indi-
viduals in the process of seeking abortion care. 
(4) The availability and accessibility of abortion 
doula care in all States of the United States. 
(b) DATA COLLECTION.—The Secretary shall collect 
data from a representative sample of individuals who have 
received abortion doula care, including the following: 
(1) Surveys of and interviews with individuals 
and their family members who have utilized abortion 
doula care, including those in States in which doula 
care for all pregnancy outcomes, including abortion, 
is covered under State plans (or waivers of such 
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plans) under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1396 et seq.). 
(2) Surveys of and interviews with practicing 
abortion doulas and health care providers who work 
with abortion doulas, including those in States in 
which doula care for all pregnancy outcomes, includ-
ing abortion, is covered under such plans or waivers. 
(3) Review of academic literature on the subject 
of abortion doula care. 
(c) EXPERT INPUT.—The Secretary shall consult 
with experts in the fields of reproductive health, maternal 
health, mental health, and social work. The Secretary shall 
also consult with community-based doulas and organiza-
tions that provide abortion doula care to individuals in un-
derserved or rural communities. 
(d) PATIENT PRIVACY PROTECTIONS.—The data col-
lected under subsection (b) shall be anonymized to prevent 
the release and misuse of sensitive personal information. 
SEC. 5. REPORT ON STATE MEDICAID APPROACHES TO 
ABORTION DOULA CARE BENEFITS AND AC-
CESS. 
(a) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall complete 
the study under section 4 and submit to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives 
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and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions of the Senate a report on the results of such 
study. 
(b) TOPICS.—The report under subsection (a) shall 
include the following: 
(1) An assessment of the potential benefits and 
challenges of integrating abortion doula care into 
abortion care and services. 
(2) Suggestions on how to increase access to 
abortion doula care, especially in underserved or 
rural areas where access to comprehensive health 
care may be limited. 
(3) Policy considerations and recommendations 
to States regarding the incorporation of abortion 
doula care into State plans (or waivers of such 
plans) under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), with attention to Federal and 
State regulations, eligibility criteria for program 
participation, covered services, payment models and 
levels, and other programs features, through changes 
to such plans or waivers. 
(b) PUBLIC ACCESSIBILITY.—The report under sub-
section (a) shall be made publicly available on the website 
of the Department of Health and Human Services. 
Æ 
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