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Informed Consent Required for Abortion and Sterilization: New Federal Law

New federal rules make it a crime to perform an abortion or sterilization without a person's informed consent. This applies to federal employees, contractors, and those receiving federal health funds. The aim is to ensure these medical procedures are only done with the patient's agreement.
Key points
Performing an abortion or sterilization without informed consent becomes a federal crime under specific circumstances.
The rules apply to federal government employees, contractors, and recipients of federal health funds.
Violators face fines and imprisonment up to 10 years.
Exceptions exist for life-threatening medical conditions, but not if the patient explicitly refused consent.
Federal employees and those receiving federal funds must report violations of these rules.
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Status:
Expired
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Additional Information
Informed Consent Act
Print number: S 446
Sponsor: Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
Process start date: 2021-02-25
System Note: Lustra is free, publicly auditable civic infrastructure, with full source code available on GitHub. You are reading sterilized legislative data, processed by our radical neutrality engine to strip political spin and retain factual mechanics. We process only official government data. Original documents remain the authoritative source, always verify them if you can.
Summarized by: gemini-2.5-flash-preview-04-17
Source data: api.congress.gov
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Summary & Status

Key Questions about Informed Consent Required for Abortion and Sterilization: New Federal Law

A structured overview of the legislative process, official sources, status and civic context.

What is the official ID of this bill?

The official print number for this legislation is S 446.

Which chamber initiated this legislation?

This legislation was initiated in the Senate.

When did the legislative process begin?

The process officially started on 2021-02-25.

What are the main provisions?

Key points include:

  • Performing an abortion or sterilization without informed consent becomes a federal crime under specific circumstances.
  • The rules apply to federal government employees, contractors, and recipients of federal health funds.
  • Violators face fines and imprisonment up to 10 years.
  • Exceptions exist for life-threatening medical conditions, but not if the patient explicitly refused consent.
  • Federal employees and those receiving federal funds must report violations of these rules.

What is the specific legal status?

The current status is Expired.

Where can I read the full text of this legislation?

The full official text is available at: View full text

Who is the primary sponsor?

The primary sponsor is Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA].

What is the latest detailed status?

The latest detailed status is: Introduced in Senate

Is this summary verified?

Yes. This content was analyzed by AI and verified by the Lustra Judge System on 2025-12-29.

Analysis and Potential Impact of S 446

We don't know, that is up to you to decide. Summarizing raw data with AI is fundamentally different from predicting socio-economic outcomes. As of 2026, we believe impact assessment strictly requires a human in the loop to verify and judge. Review our public AI processing logs for full transparency, and use Lustra to track active legislation for instant status push notifications.

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