HOPE Act

Health, Opportunity, Protecting life, Education Act or the HOPE Act

This bill provides funding for grants and other activities related to maternal care. It also establishes informed consent and parental notification requirements for abortion providers.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must award grants to (1) entities that provide maternal care in rural and medically underserved areas and on tribal lands for purchasing equipment to conduct at-home telehealth visits; and (2) nonprofits (excluding those that provide abortions) for providing, at no cost, information about and referrals for medical care, nutritional services, and other social supports to encourage pregnant women to continue their pregnancies and care for the infants. Additionally, HHS must also disseminate, through a public website, pregnancy-related resources that are available through federal, state, and local governments and private entities.

Further, abortion providers must obtain informed consent 24 hours before performing an abortion through a form that must be signed by the woman seeking the abortion, and the bill specifies information that must be contained in the form, such as medical risks. Abortion providers must also notify parents at least 24 hours prior to performing an abortion on an individual who is under 18. The bill outlines specified exceptions to, enforcement mechanisms for, and civil penalties for violations of the informed consent and parental notification requirements.

The bill also prohibits federal funding of Planned Parenthood of America, Inc. or its affiliates, subject to certain exceptions, for one year following the enactment of the bill.