Title: SAFE for Patients Act
Policy area: Law

Summary:
Saving Abortion Facilities from Extremists for Patients Act or the SAFE for Patients Act
This bill establishes a civil action for damaging or destroying a reproductive health care facility or for harassing, injuring, or intimidating a person who provides or obtains reproductive health services.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8867 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8867

  To establish a cause of action with respect to reproductive health 
                   services, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 15, 2022

  Ms. Speier (for herself, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Lois Frankel of 
 Florida, Ms. Chu, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Mr. Moulton, 
 Mrs. Hayes, and Mr. Khanna) introduced the following bill; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish a cause of action with respect to reproductive health 
                   services, 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 ``Saving Abortion Facilities from 
Extremists for Patients Act'' or the ``SAFE for Patients Act''.

SEC. 2. CAUSE OF ACTION WITH RESPECT TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES.

    (a) Cause of Action.--Any person may bring a civil action against 
any person who--
            (1) intentionally damages or destroys the property of a 
        facility that provides reproductive health services, or 
        attempts to do so, because such facility provides reproductive 
        health services;
            (2) by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction 
        intentionally harasses, injures, intimidates, or interferes 
        with a person because that person is providing or obtaining 
        reproductive health services; or
            (3) knowingly engages in conduct that aids or abets the 
        performance of an action described pursuant to paragraphs (1) 
        or (2).
    (b) Award of Damages.--If a claimant prevails on an action brought 
under subsection (a), the court shall award--
            (1) injunctive relief sufficient to prevent the defendant 
        from further violation of subsection (a) or engaging in acts 
        that aid or abet a violation of subsection (a);
            (2) statutory damages in an amount of not less than $10,000 
        per violation of subsection (a); and
            (3) costs and attorney's fees.
    (c) Not a Defense.--Notwithstanding any other law, the following 
shall not be a defense for a violation of subsection (a):
            (1) Ignorance or mistake of law.
            (2) A defendant's belief that the requirements of this 
        section are unconstitutional or were unconstitutional.
            (3) A defendant's reliance on any court decision that has 
        been overruled on appeal or by a subsequent court, even if that 
        court decision had not been overruled when the defendant 
        engaged in conduct that violates this section.
            (4) A defendant's reliance on any State or Federal court 
        decision that is not binding on the court in which the action 
        has been brought.
            (5) Non-mutual issue preclusion or non-mutual claim 
        preclusion.
    (d) Statute of Limitations.--A person may bring an action under 
this section not later than the four years after the date on which the 
violation of subsection (a) occurred.
    (e) Reproductive Health Services Defined.--In this section, the 
term ``reproductive health services'' shall have the meaning given such 
term in section 248 of title 18, United States Code.
                                 <all>