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H.R. 8498: Informed Consent Act

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H.R. 8498: Informed Consent Act

116th Congress · introduced 2020-10-01 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2020-10-01 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Informed Consent Act

Plain summary

Informed Consent Act This bill establishes a new criminal offense for knowingly performing an abortion or sterilization procedure without obtaining informed consent, unless the procedure is necessary to save an individual's life or otherwise prevent substantial impairment of a major bodily function. An individual who performs these procedures absent informed consent is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Informed Consent Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Arguments against (opponents)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] · 45 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Virginia Foxx (R-NC), John H. Rutherford (R-FL), Gregory F. Murphy (R-NC), Michael T. McCaul (R-TX), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Robert E. Latta (R-OH), Jim Banks (R-IN), Ann Wagner (R-MO), David Rouzer (R-NC), W. Gregory Steube (R-FL), Brian Babin (R-TX), James R. Baird (R-IN), Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Tim Walberg (R-MI), William R. Timmons IV (R-SC), Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann (R-TN), Rick W. Allen (R-GA), Don Bacon (R-NE), Kevin Hern (R-OK), Ted Budd (R-NC), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Ben Cline (R-VA), Glenn Grothman (R-WI)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4] reported raising $797,217 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong116-hr8498 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116