No official summary available for this bill.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6883 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6883
To define reproductive coercion as a form of domestic violence, to
provide Federal judges the authority to intervene in certain cases of
domestic violence, and to create a private right of action for victims
of domestic violence, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 18, 2025
Mr. Min (for himself, Ms. Tokuda, Ms. Randall, Ms. Pou, Ms. McDonald
Rivet, Ms. McBride, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Ms. Ansari, Ms. Wasserman
Schultz, Mr. Walkinshaw, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Ms. Simon, Ms. Scholten,
Mrs. Sykes, Ms. Norton, Mr. Deluzio, Mr. Goldman of New York, and Ms.
Ross) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To define reproductive coercion as a form of domestic violence, to
provide Federal judges the authority to intervene in certain cases of
domestic violence, and to create a private right of action for victims
of domestic violence, 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 ``Reproductive Coercion Prevention and
Protection Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the National Coalition Against Domestic
Violence and the National Domestic Violence Hotline, between
10,000,000 to 12,000,000 women and men become victims of
domestic violence each year.
(2) A person can experience domestic violence though either
intimate partner violence, such as with a current or former
dating partner, or non-intimate partner violence, such as those
with whom the person has a familial relationship.
(3) Intimate partner violence has affected both women and
men across the United States. For example, roughly 20 people
every minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in
the United States. In particular, women between the ages of 18
to 34 experience the highest rates of intimate partner violence
of any group, with over one third of murdered women in 2021
were killed in relation to intimate partner violence.
(4) Reproductive coercion is a form of intimate violence by
an intimate partner, dating partner, domestic partner, or
spouse against a person that involves behaviors to exert
control over a person's reproductive autonomy.
(5) Reproductive coercion affects people across a wide
array of socioeconomic and demographic backgrounds.
(6) Common forms of reproductive coercion include
sabotaging contraceptive methods and coercing or forcing a
person to either become pregnant or terminate a pregnancy.
(7) Studies indicate that eight percent to sixteen percent
of adult women in the United States have experienced some form
of reproductive coercion. For example, one-quarter of abuse
survivors report that their abusive partners have forced them
to become pregnant. Additionally, over two-thirds of women in
physically abusive relationships also experience sexual assault
by the intimate partner, and those women are at heightened risk
of homicide.
(8) Homicide is a leading cause of mortality for pregnant
and postpartum women in the United States.
(9) Persons experiencing reproductive coercion are
traveling across State lines to neighboring states to access
reproductive health care, including when they lack access to
reproductive health care providers.
(10) Due to State-level reproductive health care laws, some
private companies have adjusted corporate policies to provide,
among other provisions, travel reimbursements for employees who
need to access out-of-State reproductive health care.
(11) Many health insurance plans and medical providers
commonly offer mail-order delivery of birth control, ensuring
timely access to medication without the need for in-person
visits. Concerningly, persons experiencing reproductive
coercion have reported instances where an intimate partner
sabotaged or destroyed their mail-order birth control.
(12) Health care insurance markets may cover or operate
across multiple States and may be impacted by different State
regulations concerning reproductive health care and services.
SEC. 3. REPRODUCTIVE COERCION.
(a) Definition.--Title IV of the Violent Crime Control and Law
Enforcement Act of 1994 (34 U.S. Code 12291 et seq.) is amended--
(1) in section 40002--
(A) in paragraph (12), by inserting the phrase ``,
including reproductive coercion'' after the phrase
``coercive behavior'';
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(53) Reproductive coercion.--The term `reproductive
coercion'--
``(A) means control over the reproductive autonomy
of another through sexual assault, force, threat of
force, or intimidation; and
``(B) includes--
``(i) pressuring or coercing another to
become pregnant or to terminate a pregnancy;
``(ii) deliberately or physically impeding,
manipulating, or sabotaging contraception use
or access to reproductive health information;
or
``(iii) using coercive or manipulative
tactics to control, or attempt to control, a
pregnancy outcome either by the continuation of
a pregnancy or the termination of a
pregnancy.''; and
(2) by adding after section 40221 the following:
``SEC. 40222. CIVIL ACTION FOR REPRODUCTIVE COERCION AND DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE.
``(a) Private Right of Action.--An individual alleging that a
covered defendant, in the circumstances described under subsection (b),
engaged in domestic violence may bring a civil action against such
covered defendant in a court of competent jurisdiction for damages
under subsection (c).
``(b) Circumstances Described.--For the purposes of subsection (a),
the circumstances described in this subsection are that--
``(1) the covered defendant or victim traveled in
interstate or foreign commerce, or traveled using means,
channel, or facility, or instrumentality of interstate or
foreign commerce, in furtherance of the conduct described in
subsection (a);
``(2) the covered defendant used a means, channel,
facility, or instrumentality of foreign commerce in furtherance
of the conduct described in subsection (a);
``(3) any payment of any kind was made, directly or
indirectly, in furtherance of the conduct described in
subsection (a) using any means, channel, facility, or
instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce or in or
affecting interstate or foreign commerce;
``(4) the covered defendant transmitted in interstate or
foreign commerce any communication in furtherance of the
conduct described in subsection (a) using any means, channel,
facility, or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce
or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means
or in any manner, including by computer, mail, wire, or
electromagnetic transmission;
``(5) any instrument, item, substance, or other object that
has traveled in interstate or foreign commerce was used to
perform the conduct described in subsection (a);
``(6) the conduct described in subsection (a) occurred
within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the
United States, or any territory or possession of the United
States; or
``(7) the conduct described in subsection (a) otherwise
occurred in or affected interstate or foreign commerce.
``(c) Damages.--In a civil action brought under subsection (a), the
court may award--
``(1) actual damages;
``(2) punitive damages; and
``(3) any other relief the court determines appropriate,
including injunctive relief.
``(d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed
to--
``(1) modify, limit, or supersede the ability of a State
court to grant or take away custody of children, property, or
pets shared between the parties to the case;
``(2) modify, limit, or supersede the jurisdiction of a
State court;
``(3) modify, limit, or supersede a State definition of
domestic violence or reproductive coercion for the purpose of
State law or any remedy available under State law; or
``(4) limit the ability for an Article III court to remand
an entire case or portion of a case to a State court based on
the case's jurisdiction where appropriate.
``(e) Definitions.--In this section--
``(1) Domestic violence.--The term `domestic violence'
means any violation of the law of the jurisdiction where the
conduct occurred or the victim resides, by a covered defendant,
including--
``(A) the use or attempted use of physical abuse or
sexual abuse;
``(B) a single instance or pattern of reproductive
coercion; and
``(C) any coercive behavior committed to gain or
maintain power and control over a victim, including
verbal, psychological, economic, or technological
abuse.
``(2) Covered defendant.--The term `covered defendant'
means, an individual, who with respect to a victim--
``(A) is the spouse, intimate partner, dating
partner, or domestic partner or a previous spouse,
intimate partner, dating partner, or domestic partner;
``(B) is a person similarly situated to a spouse or
previous spouse;
``(C) is cohabitating, or has cohabitated, with the
victim;
``(D) shares a child in common with the victim; or
``(E) is a non-intimate partner with a familial
relationship, including a grandparent, aunt or uncle,
parent, brother, sister, or in-law.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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