Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act
Bill: S.4840 | Sponsor: Sen. Graham, Lindsey (R-SC)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act
This bill establishes a new criminal offense for performing or attempting to perform an abortion if the probable gestational age of the fetus is 15 weeks or more.
A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both.
The bill provides exceptions for an abortion (1) that is necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman, or (2) when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. A physician who performs or attempts to perform an abortion under an exception must comply with specified requirements.
A woman who undergoes a prohibited abortion may not be prosecuted for violating or conspiring to violate the provisions of this bill.

To amend title 18, United States Code, to protect pain-capable unborn 
                   children, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn 
Children from Late-Term Abortions Act''.

SEC. 2. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF CONSTITUTIONAL 
              AUTHORITY FOR ENACTMENT.

    Congress finds and declares the following:
            (1) Medical and other authorities now know more about human 
        prenatal development than ever before, including that--
                    (A) an unborn child first moves about in the womb 
                and first reacts to touch at approximately 8 weeks 
                gestation;
                    (B) the eyes begin to form at 5 weeks gestation and 
                finish forming by 10 weeks gestation;
                    (C) eye movements can be detected by ultrasound at 
                12 weeks gestation;
                    (D) by 8 to 9 weeks gestation, an unborn child has 
                detectable brain waves;
                    (E) at 9 weeks gestation--
                            (i) an unborn child's diaphragm is 
                        developing, and he or she may even hiccup; and
                            (ii) an unborn child is beginning to move 
                        about freely in the womb;
                    (F) by 9 to 11 weeks gestation, teeth as well as 
                external genitalia begin to form;
                    (G) by 10 weeks gestation--
                            (i) all of an unborn child's organ 
                        rudiments are formed and in place;
                            (ii) the digestive system and kidneys start 
                        to function; and
                            (iii) an unborn child will show a 
                        preference for either right-handedness or left-
                        handedness; and
                    (H) at 12 weeks gestation--
                            (i) an unborn child can open and close his 
                        or her fingers, starts to make sucking motions, 
                        and senses stimulation from the world outside 
                        the womb; and
                            (ii) fingernails and fingerprints begin to 
                        form.
            (2) The Supreme Court of the United States has acknowledged 
        that, by at least 12 weeks gestation, an unborn child has taken 
        on ``the human form'' in all relevant aspects. Gonzales v. 
        Carhart, 550 U.S. 124, 160 (2007).
            (3) Pain receptors (also known as ``nociceptors'') begin 
        forming at 7 weeks gestational age. Nerves linking these pain 
        receptors to the brain's thalamus and subcortical plate form 
        between 12 and 20 weeks gestational age. At no later than 16 
        weeks gestational age, the first contact occurs between the 
        subcortical plate and these forming fibers.
            (4) In considering the use of anesthesia for invasive 
        medical procedures performed on the fetus, doctors have 
        concluded, based on the evidence, that from as early as 12 
        weeks gestational age, and certainly by 15 weeks gestational 
        age, the fetus is extremely sensitive to painful stimuli, 
        making it necessary to apply adequate analgesia and anesthesia 
        to prevent fetal suffering.
            (5) Substantial evidence indicates that neural elements, 
        such as the thalamus and subcortical plate, which develop at 
        specific times during the early development of an unborn child, 
        serve as pain-processing structures, and are different from the 
        neural elements used for pain processing by adults. Recent 
        evidence, particularly since 2016, demonstrates that structures 
        responsible for pain show signs of sufficient maturation 
        beginning at 15 weeks of gestation.
            (6) In an unborn child, application of painful stimuli is 
        associated with significant increases in stress hormones known 
        as the stress response.
            (7) Subjection to painful stimuli is associated with long-
        term harmful neurodevelopmental effects, such as altered pain 
        sensitivity and, possibly, emotional, behavioral, and learning 
        disabilities later in life.
            (8) For the purposes of surgery on unborn children, fetal 
        anesthesia is routinely administered and is associated with a 
        decrease in stress hormones compared to their level when 
        painful stimuli are applied without such anesthesia.
            (9) The assertion by some medical experts that an unborn 
        child is incapable of experiencing pain until a point in 
        pregnancy later than 24 weeks gestational age predominately 
        rests on the assumption that the ability to experience pain 
        depends on the cerebral cortex and requires nerve connections 
        between the thalamus and the cortex. However, recent medical 
        research and analysis, especially since 2007, provide strong 
        evidence for the conclusion that a functioning cortex is not 
        necessary to experience pain.
            (10) Substantial evidence indicates that children born 
        missing the bulk of the cerebral cortex, such as those with 
        hydranencephaly, nevertheless experience pain.
            (11) In adult humans and in animals, stimulation or 
        ablation of the cerebral cortex does not alter pain perception, 
        while stimulation or ablation of the thalamus does.
            (12) The assertion of some medical experts that an unborn 
        child remains in a coma-like sleep state that precludes an 
        unborn child from experiencing pain is inconsistent with the 
        documented reaction of unborn children to painful stimuli and 
        with the experience of fetal surgeons who have found it 
        necessary to sedate an unborn child with anesthesia and provide 
        analgesia to prevent an unborn child from engaging in vigorous 
        movement in reaction to invasive surgery.
            (13) Consequently, there is substantial medical evidence 
        that an unborn child is capable of experiencing pain at least 
        by 15 weeks gestational age, if not earlier.
            (14) Abortion carries significant physical and 
        psychological risks to the pregnant woman, and these physical 
        and psychological risks increase with gestational age.
            (15) The majority of abortion procedures performed after 15 
        weeks gestation are dismemberment abortion procedures which 
        involve the use of surgical instruments to crush and tear an 
        unborn child apart before removing the pieces of the dead child 
        from the womb.
            (16) Medical complications from dismemberment abortions 
        include pelvic infection, incomplete abortions (retained 
        tissue), blood clots, heavy bleeding or hemorrhage, laceration, 
        tear, or other injury to the cervix, puncture, laceration, 
        tear, or other injury to the uterus, injury to the bowel or 
        bladder, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and other 
        emotional or psychological problems. Further, in abortions 
        performed after 15 weeks gestation, there is a higher risk of 
        requiring a hysterectomy, other reparative surgery, or a blood 
        transfusion.
            (17) In subparagraphs (J) and (K) of section 2(14) of the 
        Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-105; 117 
        Stat. 1201), Congress found and declared that late-term 
        abortion, such as a dismemberment abortion, ``confuses the 
        medical, legal, and ethical duties of physicians to preserve 
        and promote life, as the physician acts directly against the 
        physical life of a child'' and ``undermines the public's 
        perception of the appropriate role of a physician''.
            (18) ``The [Supreme] Court has given state and federal 
        legislatures wide discretion to pass legislation in areas where 
        there is medical and scientific uncertainty.'' Gonzales v. 
        Carhart, 550 U.S. at 163. ``The law need not give abortion 
        doctors unfettered choice in the course of their medical 
        practice, nor should it elevate their status above other 
        physicians in the medical community.'' Gonzales v. Carhart, 550 
        U.S. at 163. ``Medical uncertainty does not foreclose the 
        exercise of legislative power in the abortion context any more 
        than it does in other contexts.'' Gonzales v. Carhart, 550 U.S. 
        at 164.
            (19) The Supreme Court has held that ``[i]t is time to heed 
        the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the 
        people's elected representatives.'' Dobbs v. Jackson Women's 
        Health Organization, 142 S. Ct. 2228, 2243 (2022).
            (20) The Supreme Court has also held that ``[a] law 
        regulating abortion, like other health and welfare laws, is 
        entitled to a `strong presumption of validity.' . . . It must 
        be sustained if there is a rational basis on which the 
        legislature could have thought that it would serve legitimate 
        state interests. . . . These legitimate interests include 
        respect for and preservation of prenatal life at all stages of 
        development . . . ; the protection of maternal health and 
        safety; the elimination of particularly gruesome or barbaric 
        medical procedures; the preservation of the integrity of the 
        medical profession; the mitigation of fetal pain; and the 
        prevention of discrimination on the basis of race, sex, or 
        disability.'' Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, 142 
        S. Ct. at 2239.
            (21) It is the purpose of Congress to assert a legitimate 
        governmental interest in protecting the lives of unborn 
        children from the stage at which substantial medical evidence 
        indicates that they are capable of feeling pain.
            (22) Congress has authority to extend protection to pain-
        capable unborn children under--
                    (A) the Commerce Clause of section 8 of article I 
                of the Constitution of the United States, as 
                interpreted by the Supreme Court; and
                    (B) the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of 
                section 1, and the Enforcement Clause of section 5, of 
                the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL MINIMUM PROTECTIONS FOR PAIN-CAPABLE UNBORN CHILDREN.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 74 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 1531 the following:
``Sec. 1532. Federal minimum protections for pain-capable unborn 
              children
    ``(a) Unlawful Conduct.--Subject to subsection (g) and 
notwithstanding any other provision of law, it shall be unlawful for 
any person to perform an abortion or attempt to do so, unless in 
conformity with the requirements set forth in subsection (b).
    ``(b) Minimum Requirements for Abortions.--
            ``(1) Assessment of the age of the unborn child.--The 
        physician performing or attempting the abortion shall first 
        make a determination of the probable gestational age of the 
        unborn child or reasonably rely upon such a determination made 
        by another physician. In making such a determination, the 
        physician shall make such inquiries of the pregnant woman and 
        perform or cause to be performed such medical examinations and 
        tests as a reasonably prudent physician, knowledgeable about 
        the case and the medical conditions involved, would consider 
        necessary to make an accurate determination of gestational age.
            ``(2) Prohibition on performance of certain abortions.--
                    ``(A) Generally for unborn children 15 weeks or 
                older.--Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the 
                abortion shall not be performed or attempted, if the 
                probable gestational age, as determined under paragraph 
                (1), of the unborn child is 15 weeks or greater.
                    ``(B) Exceptions.--Subparagraph (A) does not apply 
                if--
                            ``(i) in reasonable medical judgment, the 
                        abortion is necessary to save the life of a 
                        pregnant woman whose life is endangered by a 
                        physical disorder, physical illness, or 
                        physical injury, including a life-endangering 
                        physical condition caused by or arising from 
                        the pregnancy itself, but not including 
                        psychological or emotional conditions;
                            ``(ii) the pregnancy is the result of rape 
                        against an adult woman, and at least 48 hours 
                        prior to the abortion--
                                    ``(I) she has obtained counseling 
                                for the rape; or
                                    ``(II) she has obtained medical 
                                treatment for the rape or an injury 
                                related to the rape; or
                            ``(iii) the pregnancy is a result of rape 
                        against a minor or incest against a minor, and 
                        the rape or incest has been reported at any 
                        time prior to the abortion to either--
                                    ``(I) a government agency legally 
                                authorized to act on reports of child 
                                abuse; or
                                    ``(II) a law enforcement agency.
                    ``(C) Requirement as to manner of procedure 
                performed.--Notwithstanding the definitions of 
                `abortion' and `attempt' in this section, a physician 
                terminating or attempting to terminate a pregnancy 
                under an exception provided by subparagraph (B) may do 
                so only in the manner which, in reasonable medical 
                judgment, provides the best opportunity for the unborn 
                child to survive.
                    ``(D) Requirement that a physician trained in 
                neonatal resuscitation be present.--If, in reasonable 
                medical judgment, the pain-capable unborn child has the 
                potential to survive outside the womb, the physician 
                who performs or attempts an abortion under an exception 
                provided by subparagraph (B) shall ensure a second 
                physician trained in neonatal resuscitation is present 
                and prepared to provide care to the child consistent 
                with the requirements of subparagraph (E).
                    ``(E) Children born alive after attempted 
                abortions.--When a physician performs or attempts an 
                abortion in accordance with this section, and the child 
                is born alive, as defined in section 8 of title 1 
                (commonly known as the `Born-Alive Infants Protection 
                Act of 2002'), the following shall apply:
                            ``(i) Degree of care required.--Any health 
                        care practitioner present at the time shall 
                        humanely exercise the same degree of 
                        professional skill, care, and diligence to 
                        preserve the life and health of the child as a 
                        reasonably diligent and conscientious health 
                        care practitioner would render to a child born 
                        alive at the same gestational age in the course 
                        of a natural birth.
                            ``(ii) Immediate admission to a hospital.--
                        Following the care required to be rendered 
                        under clause (i), the child born alive shall be 
                        immediately transported and admitted to a 
                        hospital.
                            ``(iii) Mandatory reporting of 
                        violations.--A health care practitioner or any 
                        employee of a hospital, a physician's office, 
                        or an abortion clinic who has knowledge of a 
                        failure to comply with the requirements of this 
                        subparagraph must immediately report the 
                        failure to an appropriate State or Federal law 
                        enforcement agency or both.
                    ``(F) Documentation requirements.--
                            ``(i) Documentation pertaining to adults.--
                        A physician who performs or attempts to perform 
                        an abortion under an exception provided by 
                        subparagraph (B)(ii) shall, prior to the 
                        abortion, place in the patient medical file 
                        documentation from a hospital licensed by the 
                        State or operated under authority of a Federal 
                        agency, a medical clinic licensed by the State 
                        or operated under authority of a Federal 
                        agency, from a personal physician licensed by 
                        the State, a counselor licensed by the State, 
                        or a victim's rights advocate provided by a law 
                        enforcement agency that the adult woman seeking 
                        the abortion obtained medical treatment or 
                        counseling for the rape or an injury related to 
                        the rape.
                            ``(ii) Documentation pertaining to 
                        minors.--A physician who performs or attempts 
                        to perform an abortion under an exception 
                        provided by subparagraph (B)(iii) shall, prior 
                        to the abortion, place in the patient medical 
                        file--
                                    ``(I) documentation from a 
                                government agency legally authorized to 
                                act on reports of child abuse that the 
                                rape or incest was reported prior to 
                                the abortion; or
                                    ``(II) as an alternative, 
                                documentation from a law enforcement 
                                agency that the rape or incest was 
                                reported prior to the abortion.
                    ``(G) Informed consent.--
                            ``(i) Consent form required.--The physician 
                        who intends to perform or attempt to perform an 
                        abortion under the provisions of subparagraph 
                        (B) may not perform any part of the abortion 
                        procedure without first obtaining a signed 
                        Informed Consent Authorization form in 
                        accordance with this subparagraph.
                            ``(ii) Content of consent form.--The 
                        Informed Consent Authorization form shall be 
                        presented in person by the physician and shall 
                        consist of--
                                    ``(I) a statement by the physician 
                                indicating the probable gestational age 
                                of the pain-capable unborn child;
                                    ``(II) a statement that Federal law 
                                allows abortion after 15 weeks probable 
                                gestational age only if--
                                            ``(aa) the mother's life is 
                                        endangered by a physical 
                                        disorder, physical illness, or 
                                        physical injury; or
                                            ``(bb) the pregnancy was 
                                        the result of--

                                                    ``(AA) rape; or

                                                    ``(BB) an act of 
                                                incest against a minor;

                                    ``(III) a statement that the 
                                pregnancy must be terminated by the 
                                method most likely to allow the child 
                                to be born alive unless this would 
                                cause significant risk to the mother;
                                    ``(IV) a statement that in any case 
                                in which an abortion procedure results 
                                in a child born alive, Federal law 
                                requires that child to be given every 
                                form of medical assistance that is 
                                provided to children spontaneously born 
                                prematurely, including transportation 
                                and admittance to a hospital;
                                    ``(V) a statement that these 
                                requirements are binding upon the 
                                physician and all other medical 
                                personnel who are subject to criminal 
                                and civil penalties and that a woman on 
                                whom an abortion has been performed may 
                                take civil action if these requirements 
                                are not followed; and
                                    ``(VI) affirmation that each signer 
                                has filled out the informed consent 
                                form to the best of their knowledge and 
                                understands the information contained 
                                in the form.
                            ``(iii) Signatories required.--The Informed 
                        Consent Authorization form shall be signed in 
                        person by the woman seeking the abortion, the 
                        physician performing or attempting to perform 
                        the abortion, and a witness.
                            ``(iv) Retention of consent form.--The 
                        physician performing or attempting to perform 
                        an abortion must retain the signed informed 
                        consent form in the patient's medical file.
                    ``(H) Requirement for data retention.--Paragraph 
                (j)(2) of section 164.530 of title 45, Code of Federal 
                Regulations, shall apply to documentation required to 
                be placed in a patient's medical file pursuant to 
                subparagraph (F) of subsection (b)(2) and a consent 
                form required to be retained in a patient's medical 
                file pursuant to subparagraph (G) of such subsection in 
                the same manner and to the same extent as such 
                paragraph applies to documentation required by 
                paragraph (j)(1) of such section.
                    ``(I) Additional exceptions and requirements.--
                            ``(i) In cases of risk of death or major 
                        injury to the mother.--Subparagraphs (C), (D), 
                        and (G) shall not apply if, in reasonable 
                        medical judgment, compliance with such 
                        paragraphs would pose a greater risk of--
                                    ``(I) the death of the pregnant 
                                woman; or
                                    ``(II) the substantial and 
                                irreversible physical impairment of a 
                                major bodily function, not including 
                                psychological or emotional conditions, 
                                of the pregnant woman.
                            ``(ii) Exclusion of certain facilities.--
                        Notwithstanding the definitions of the terms 
                        `medical treatment' and `counseling' in 
                        subsection (g), the counseling or medical 
                        treatment described in subparagraph (B)(ii) may 
                        not be provided by a facility that performs 
                        abortions (unless that facility is a hospital).
                            ``(iii) Rule of construction in cases of 
                        reports to law enforcement.--The requirements 
                        of subparagraph (B)(ii) do not apply if the 
                        rape has been reported at any time prior to the 
                        abortion to a law enforcement agency or 
                        Department of Defense victim assistance 
                        personnel.
    ``(c) Criminal Penalty.--Whoever violates subsection (a) shall be 
fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or 
both.
    ``(d) Bar to Prosecution.--A woman upon whom an abortion in 
violation of subsection (a) is performed or attempted may not be 
prosecuted under, or for a conspiracy to violate, subsection (a), or 
for an offense under section 2, 3, or 4 of this title based on such a 
violation.
    ``(e) Civil Remedies.--
            ``(1) Civil action by a woman on whom an abortion is 
        performed.--A woman upon whom an abortion has been performed or 
        attempted in violation of any provision of this section may, in 
        a civil action against any person who committed the violation, 
        obtain appropriate relief.
            ``(2) Civil action by a parent of a minor on whom an 
        abortion is performed.--A parent of a minor upon whom an 
        abortion has been performed or attempted under an exception 
        provided for in subsection (b)(2)(B), and that was performed in 
        violation of any provision of this section may, in a civil 
        action against any person who committed the violation obtain 
        appropriate relief, unless the pregnancy resulted from the 
        plaintiff's criminal conduct.
            ``(3) Appropriate relief.--Appropriate relief in a civil 
        action under this subsection includes--
                    ``(A) objectively verifiable money damages for all 
                injuries, psychological and physical, occasioned by the 
                violation;
                    ``(B) statutory damages equal to 3 times the cost 
                of the abortion; and
                    ``(C) punitive damages.
            ``(4) Attorneys fees for plaintiff.--The court shall award 
        a reasonable attorney's fee as part of the costs to a 
        prevailing plaintiff in a civil action under this subsection.
            ``(5) Attorneys fees for defendant.--If a defendant in a 
        civil action under this subsection prevails and the court finds 
        that the plaintiff's suit was frivolous, the court shall award 
        a reasonable attorney's fee in favor of the defendant against 
        the plaintiff.
            ``(6) Awards against woman.--Except as provided in 
        paragraph (5), in a civil action under this subsection, no 
        damages, attorney's fee or other monetary relief may be 
        assessed against the woman upon whom the abortion was performed 
        or attempted.
    ``(f) Data Collection.--
            ``(1) Data submissions.--Any physician who performs or 
        attempts an abortion described in subsection (b)(2)(B) shall 
        annually submit a summary of all such abortions to the National 
        Center for Health Statistics (in this subsection referred to as 
        the `Center') not later than 60 days after the end of the 
        calendar year in which the abortion was performed or attempted.
            ``(2) Contents of summary.--The summary shall include the 
        number of abortions performed or attempted on an unborn child 
        who had a gestational age of 15 weeks or more and specify the 
        following for each abortion under subsection (b)(2)(B):
                    ``(A) The probable gestational age of the unborn 
                child.
                    ``(B) The method used to carry out the abortion.
                    ``(C) The location where the abortion was 
                conducted.
                    ``(D) The exception under subsection (b)(2)(B) 
                under which the abortion was conducted.
                    ``(E) Any incident of live birth resulting from the 
                abortion.
            ``(3) Exclusions from data submissions.--A summary required 
        under this subsection shall not contain any information 
        identifying the woman whose pregnancy was terminated and shall 
        be submitted consistent with the Health Insurance Portability 
        and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 1320d-2 note).
            ``(4) Public report.--The Center shall annually issue a 
        public report providing statistics by State for the previous 
        year compiled from all of the summaries made to the Center 
        under this subsection. The Center shall take care to ensure 
        that none of the information included in the public reports 
        could reasonably lead to the identification of any pregnant 
        woman upon whom an abortion was performed or attempted. The 
        annual report shall be issued by July 1 of the calendar year 
        following the year in which the abortions were performed or 
        attempted.
    ``(g) Rules of Construction.--
            ``(1) Greater protection.--Nothing in this section may be 
        construed to preempt or limit any Federal, State, or local law 
        that provides greater protections for an unborn child than 
        those provided in this section.
            ``(2) Creating or recognizing right.--Nothing in this 
        section shall be construed to--
                    ``(A) create or recognize a right to abortion; or
                    ``(B) make lawful an abortion that is unlawful on 
                the date of enactment of this section.
    ``(h) Definitions.--In this section the following definitions 
apply:
            ``(1) Abortion.--The term `abortion' means the use or 
        prescription of any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other 
        substance or device--
                    ``(A) to intentionally kill the unborn child of a 
                woman known to be pregnant; or
                    ``(B) to intentionally terminate the pregnancy of a 
                woman known to be pregnant, with an intention other 
                than--
                            ``(i) after viability, to produce a live 
                        birth and preserve the life and health of the 
                        child born alive; or
                            ``(ii) to remove a dead unborn child.
            ``(2) Attempt.--The term `attempt', with respect to an 
        abortion, means conduct that, under the circumstances as the 
        actor believes them to be, constitutes a substantial step in a 
        course of conduct planned to culminate in performing an 
        abortion.
            ``(3) Counseling.--The term `counseling' means counseling 
        provided by a counselor licensed by the State, or a victims 
        rights advocate provided by a law enforcement agency.
            ``(4) Facility.--The term `facility' means any medical or 
        counseling group, center or clinic and includes the entire 
        legal entity, including any entity that controls, is controlled 
        by, or is under common control with such facility.
            ``(5) Fertilization.--The term `fertilization' means the 
        fusion of a human spermatozoon with a human ovum.
            ``(6) Gestational age.--The term `gestational age', with 
        respect to an unborn child, means the age of the unborn child 
        calculated from the first day of the pregnant woman's last 
        menstrual period.
            ``(7) Medical treatment.--The term `medical treatment' 
        means treatment provided at a hospital licensed by the State or 
        operated under authority of a Federal agency, at a medical 
        clinic licensed by the State or operated under authority of a 
        Federal agency, or from a personal physician licensed by the 
        State.
            ``(8) Minor.--The term `minor' means an individual who has 
        not attained the age of 18 years.
            ``(9) Perform.--The term `perform', with respect to an 
        abortion, includes inducing an abortion through a medical or 
        chemical intervention, including writing a prescription for a 
        drug or device intended to result in an abortion.
            ``(10) Physician.--The term `physician' means a person 
        licensed to practice medicine and surgery or osteopathic 
        medicine and surgery, or otherwise legally authorized to 
        perform an abortion.
            ``(11) Probable gestational age of the unborn child.--The 
        term `probable gestational age of the unborn child' means what, 
        in reasonable medical judgment, will with reasonable 
        probability be the gestational age at the time the abortion is 
        performed or induced.
            ``(12) Reasonable medical judgment.--The term `reasonable 
        medical judgment' means a medical judgment that would be made 
        by a reasonably prudent physician in the field of obstetrics, 
        maternal fetal medicine, or neonatology who is knowledgeable 
        about the case and the treatment possibilities with respect to 
        the medical conditions involved.
            ``(13) State.--The term `State' means any of the several 
        States, the District of Columbia, or any territory or 
        possession of the United States.
            ``(14) Unborn child.--The term `unborn child' means an 
        individual organism of the species homo sapiens, beginning at 
        fertilization, until the point of being born alive as defined 
        in section 8(b) of title 1.
            ``(15) Woman.--The term `woman' means a female human being 
        whether or not she has reached the age of majority.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 74 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following new item:

``1532. Federal minimum protections for pain-capable unborn child 
                            protection.''.
    (c) Chapter Heading Amendments.--
            (1) Chapter heading in chapter.--The chapter heading for 
        chapter 74 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by 
        striking ``PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTIONS'' and inserting 
        ``ABORTIONS''.
            (2) Table of chapters for part i.--The item relating to 
        chapter 74 in the table of chapters at the beginning of part I 
        of title 18, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:

``74.  Abortions............................................    1531''.
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