Federal law shields abortion records from prosecutors and courts

What it does

This bill amends federal health privacy law (HIPAA) to prohibit healthcare providers and their business associates from disclosing information about pregnancy termination or loss—including abortion, miscarriage, and stillbirth—in any legal proceeding (civil, criminal, or administrative) without explicit patient consent. It requires the Department of Health and Human Services to update regulations within 90 days to implement these protections and to ensure health IT systems can segregate this sensitive data. The bill preempts conflicting state laws but allows states to impose stronger privacy protections.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core function is to amend HIPAA to create a new category of protected health information (pregnancy termination or loss data) and restrict its disclosure in legal proceedings. This is a straightforward privacy expansion, not a market intervention or regulatory carve-out.

What the text implies

• Creates a federal privacy shield that may conflict with state laws requiring disclosure of abortion-related medical records to prosecutors or in custody/family law proceedings, forcing courts to navigate preemption questions.
• Health IT developers must now implement data segregation for pregnancy-related records, adding compliance costs and technical complexity to EHR systems.
• The bill does not address law enforcement's ability to obtain records through subpoena or warrant if the patient consents or is deceased/incapacitated; the protection is against compelled disclosure without consent.
• State laws that currently require healthcare providers to report abortion or pregnancy loss to authorities may be preempted, but the bill's language allows states to impose *greater* privacy protections, creating a patchwork.
• The outreach requirement may increase public awareness of abortion-related privacy rights, potentially affecting how individuals interact with healthcare providers in restrictive states.

Who it affects

Ordinary people gain a concrete privacy protection: healthcare providers cannot be compelled to disclose sensitive reproductive health information to law enforcement, prosecutors, or courts without consent. This directly shields individuals from state prosecution or civil liability based on medical records, particularly in states with abortion restrictions. The bill creates a federal floor of privacy that cannot be undercut by state law.

Named in the bill

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996), HITECH Act, Covered entities (healthcare providers), Business associates, Health IT developers, Federal, State, local, and Tribal courts and proceedings

Where it stands

1 cosponsor: 1 Democrats.

• Jun 25, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jun 25, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

5 lobbying clients named this bill on 5 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $764,424 in lobbying spend. A filing names 48 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 78% of bills with at least one filing.

Sara Jacobs, the sponsor, reported $212,000 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc — $652,972 on 1 filing
• Center for Reproductive Rights — $70,000 on 1 filing
• Power to Decide — $21,703 on 1 filing
• National Council of Jewish Women — $10,000 on 1 filing
• Guttmacher Institute — $9,749 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.