[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 929 Reported in House (RH)]





                                                  Union Calendar No. 15

105th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                               H. R. 929

                          [Report No. 105-24]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To amend title 18, United States Code, to ban partial-birth abortions.

_______________________________________________________________________

                             March 14, 1997

  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
       House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
                                                  Union Calendar No. 15
105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 929

                          [Report No. 105-24]

 To amend title 18, United States Code, to ban partial-birth abortions.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 5, 1997

 Mr. Canady of Florida (for himself, Mr. Hall of Ohio, Mr. Hyde, Mrs. 
 Myrick, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Coburn, Mrs. Emerson, Mr. Armey, 
Mr. DeLay, Mr. Oberstar, Mr. Weldon of Florida, Mr. Watts of Oklahoma, 
 Mrs. Cubin, Mr. Deal of Georgia, Mrs. Smith of Washington, Mr. Doyle, 
Mr. Doolittle, Mr. Mascara, Mr. Hostettler, Mr. Hulshof, Mrs. Northup, 
    Mr. Barcia, Mr. Davis of Virginia, Mr. Holden, Mr. McCrery, Mr. 
   Shimkus, Mr. Klink, Mrs. Chenoweth, Mr. Skelton, Ms. Danner, Mr. 
 Hayworth, Mr. Knollenberg, Mr. Hilleary, Mr. Cunningham, Mr. Bryant, 
Mr. Bartlett of Maryland, Mr. Herger, Mr. Crane, Mr. Dickey, Mr. Burton 
of Indiana, Mr. Hefley, Mr. Christensen, Mr. Underwood, Mr. Chabot, Mr. 
Goodlatte, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Ballenger, Mr. Pappas, Mr. King, Mr. Roemer, 
Mr. Bachus, Mr. Bliley, Mr. Cannon, Mr. LaHood, Mr. Portman, Mr. Smith 
of Texas, Mr. Hutchinson, Mr. Pitts, Mr. Forbes, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Rahall, 
 Mr. Young of Alaska, Mr. Stearns, Mr. Ensign, Mr. Walsh, Mr. Bunning, 
Mr. Ganske, Mr. Hill, Mr. English of Pennsylvania, Mr. Quinn, Mr. Diaz-
 Balart, Mr. Thornberry, Mr. Peterson of Minnesota, Mr. Callahan, Mr. 
 Stump, Mr. Mica, Mr. Latham, Mr. McCollum, Mr. Bereuter, Mr. Talent, 
Mr. Packard, Mr. Camp, Mr. Barr of Georgia, Mr. Norwood, Mr. Manzullo, 
    Mr. McIntosh, Mr. Buyer, Mr. Lewis of Kentucky, Mr. Tiahrt, Mr. 
Poshard, Mr. Murtha, Mr. Kildee, Mr. John, Mr. Kanjorski, Mr. Taylor of 
   Mississippi, Mr. Baker, Mr. Hoekstra, Mr. Souder, Mr. Barrett of 
Nebraska, Mr. Solomon, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Ryun, Mr. Sam Johnson of Texas, 
  Mr. Parker, Mr. Coble, Mr. Bono, Mr. Inglis of South Carolina, Mr. 
  Taylor of North Carolina, Mr. Boehner, Mr. Istook, Mr. Watkins, Mr. 
   Schiff, Mr. Peterson of Pennsylvania, Mr. McDade, Mr. Hansen, Mr. 
 Barton of Texas, Mr. Hastings of Washington, Mr. Jones, Mr. Stenholm, 
   Mr. Burr of North Carolina, Mr. Graham, Mr. Wamp, Mr. Linder, Mr. 
Jenkins, Mr. Gutknecht, Mr. Goodling, Mr. Petri, Mr. Ney, Mr. Sanford, 
    Mr. Largent, Mr. Stupak, Mr. Hastert, Mr. Nussle, Mr. Weldon of 
  Pennsylvania, Mr. Rogers, Mr. Salmon, Mr. Pombo, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. 
 Shadegg, Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Aderholt, Mr. Gallegly, Mr. Smith of Oregon, 
  Mr. Livingston, Mr. Everett, Mr. Skeen, Mr. Archer, Mr. Sununu, Mr. 
 Metcalf, Mr. Oxley, Mr. Paxon, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Pickering, Mr. Shuster, 
 Mr. Gillmor, Mr. Spence, Mr. Kasich, Mr. Neumann, Mr. Bob Schaffer of 
Colorado, Mr. Mollohan, Mr. Ehlers, Mr. Goode, Mr. Pease, Mr. Combest, 
and Mr. Whitfield) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

                             March 14, 1997

Additional sponsors: Mr. Goss, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Sensenbrenner, Mr. Riley, 
    Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Kingston, Mr. Lipinski, Mrs. Fowler, Ms. Ros-
  Lehtinen, Mr. Snowbarger, Mr. Radanovich, Mr. Tauzin, Mr. Moran of 
 Kansas, Mr. Calvert, Mr. LaTourette, Mr. Clement, and Mr. Scarborough

                             March 14, 1997

  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
       House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 18, United States Code, to ban partial-birth abortions.

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

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Partial-Birth Abortion Ban 
Act of 1997''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTIONS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) In General.--Title 18, United States Code, is amended 
by inserting after chapter 73 the following:</DELETED>

        <DELETED>``CHAPTER 74--PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTIONS</DELETED>

<DELETED>``Sec.
<DELETED>``1531Partial-birth abortions prohibited.
<DELETED>``Sec. 1531 Partial-birth abortions prohibited</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(a) Whoever, in or affecting interstate or foreign 
commerce, knowingly performs a partial-birth abortion and thereby kills 
a human fetus or infant shall be fined under this title or imprisoned 
not more than two years, or both.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(b) Subsection (a) does not apply to a partial-birth 
abortion that is necessary to save the life of a mother because her 
life is endangered by a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical 
illness, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or 
arising from the pregnancy itself, if no other medical procedure would 
suffice for that purpose.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(c) As used in this section--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) the term `partial-birth abortion' means an 
        abortion in which the person performing the abortion partially 
        vaginally delivers a living fetus before killing the infant and 
        completing the delivery; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) the terms `fetus' and `infant' are 
        interchangeable.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(d)(1) Unless the pregnancy resulted from the 
plaintiff's criminal conduct or the plaintiff consented to the 
abortion, the father, and if the mother has not attained the age of 18 
years at the time of the abortion, the maternal grandparents of the 
fetus or infant, may in a civil action obtain appropriate 
relief.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(2) Such relief shall include--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(A) money damages for all injuries, 
        psychological and physical, occasioned by the violation of this 
        section; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(B) statutory damages equal to three times the 
        cost of the partial-birth abortion;</DELETED>
<DELETED>even if the mother consented to the performance of an 
abortion.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(e) A woman upon whom a partial-birth abortion is 
performed may not be prosecuted under this section for a conspiracy to 
violate this section, or an offense under section 2, 3, or 4 of this 
title based on a violation of this section.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of chapters for part I 
of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to chapter 73 the following new item:</DELETED>

<DELETED>``74. Partial-birth abortions......................    1531''.

</DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 
1997''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTIONS.

    (a) In General.--Title 18, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting after chapter 73 the following:

                 ``CHAPTER 74--PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTIONS

``Sec.
``1531. Partial-birth abortions prohibited.
``Sec. 1531. Partial-birth abortions prohibited
    ``(a) Whoever, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, 
knowingly performs a partial-birth abortion and thereby kills a human 
fetus or infant shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more 
than two years, or both.
    ``(b) Subsection (a) does not apply to a partial-birth abortion 
that is necessary to save the life of a mother because her life is 
endangered by a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical 
illness, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or 
arising from the pregnancy itself, if no other medical procedure would 
suffice for that purpose.
    ``(c) As used in this section--
            ``(1) the term `partial-birth abortion' means an abortion 
        in which the person performing the abortion partially vaginally 
        delivers a living fetus before killing the infant and 
        completing the delivery; and
            ``(2) the terms `fetus' and `infant' are interchangeable.
    ``(d)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (3), the father, and if 
the mother has not attained the age of 18 years at the time of the 
abortion, the maternal grandparents of the fetus or infant, may in a 
civil action obtain appropriate relief.
    ``(2) Such relief shall include--
            ``(A) money damages for all psychological injuries 
        occasioned by the violation of this section; and
            ``(B) statutory damages equal to three times the cost of 
        the partial-birth abortion;
even if the mother consented to the performance of an abortion.
    ``(3) A civil action may not be commenced under this section if--
            ``(A) the pregnancy resulted from the plaintiff's criminal 
        conduct;
            ``(B) the plaintiff consented to the abortion; or
            ``(C) the plaintiff is a father who abandoned or abused the 
        mother.
    ``(e) A woman upon whom a partial-birth abortion is performed may 
not be prosecuted under this section for a conspiracy to violate this 
section, or an offense under section 2, 3, or 4 of this title based on 
a violation of this section.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of chapters for part I of title 
18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating 
to chapter 73 the following new item:

``74. Partial-birth abortions...............................    1531''.