Ensuring Accurate and Complete Abortion Data Reporting Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- S. 178
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-01-22: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-25T12:18:23Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The legislation aims to enhance the accuracy and completeness of national abortion data by requiring states to report standardized information to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It addresses gaps in voluntary reporting, which has led to incomplete data, to better support public health monitoring and policy decisions.
Key Provisions
- Findings Section: Congress notes that past voluntary reporting has resulted in inconsistent and incomplete data across states, with no uniform data point available nationwide and some states (covering 15% of women of childbearing age) providing none. Accurate data is deemed essential for public health and policy.
- Medicaid Funding Condition (Amendment to Social Security Act):
- States must submit annual abortion data to the CDC's surveillance system by December 31 for the prior year to qualify for federal Medicaid payments for specific family planning services (e.g., contraceptives) provided to certain eligible individuals.
- This requirement begins two years after enactment.
- Late submissions (by December 31 of the current year) allow states to receive payments, including retroactive ones.
- States must certify data accuracy; knowingly false submissions result in a one-year loss of funding for those services.
- CDC Data Collection System (Amendment to Public Health Service Act):
- The CDC must maintain a national surveillance system for collecting aggregate (non-individual) abortion data in a standardized format.
- A standard worksheet will include mandatory questions on key variables (e.g., maternal age, gestational age, race, ethnicity, abortion method, marital status, previous pregnancies, residence by county/state, and child survival post-abortion) and optional voluntary questions.
- The system supports data cross-tabulation (e.g., age by gestational age, race by marital status).
- CDC will provide technical assistance to states and update the worksheet periodically.
- CDC must issue and publish an annual report on the data by December 30 of the third year following the covered year.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Shifts abortion data reporting from voluntary to mandatory for states, tied directly to federal Medicaid funding for family planning services.
- Introduces a standardized national framework for data collection, including specific mandatory variables and certification requirements, which did not previously exist.
- Adds penalties for non-compliance or false reporting, replacing reliance on voluntary participation.
- Expands CDC's role in abortion surveillance, including annual public reporting and technical support.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: States may face administrative burdens to collect and report data, potentially straining health departments; CDC gains resources for better data analysis and public health tracking. Federal Medicaid funding could be withheld from non-compliant states, affecting budget allocations.
- Citizens: Improved national data could lead to more evidence-based public health policies on reproductive care, maternal health, and abortion trends. Individuals receiving family planning services under Medicaid might indirectly face service disruptions if states lose funding.
- International Relations: No direct impacts, as the bill focuses on domestic U.S. data collection.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- States and Local Health Agencies: Primary reporters of data; must comply to maintain Medicaid funding for family planning.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Responsible for system maintenance, data aggregation, technical assistance, and annual reporting.
- Healthcare Providers and Clinics: Involved in data collection, particularly those offering family planning or abortion services under Medicaid.
- Women and Families: Beneficiaries of family planning services; broader population affected through informed public health policies.
- Policymakers and Researchers: Gain access to more reliable data for analysis on abortion trends, demographics, and outcomes.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Ties federal funding to state reporting, which could be challenged as coercive under spending clause precedents (e.g., if seen as unduly pressuring states). Certification and penalty provisions introduce accountability but raise questions about enforcement mechanisms and data verification.
- Constitutional: Potential privacy concerns under the Fourteenth Amendment, as data includes sensitive details like race, age, and procedure type, though aggregate format limits individual identification. No direct conflict with abortion rights post-Dobbs v. Jackson (2022), as it focuses on data rather than access.
- Political: Heightens federal involvement in a divisive issue, potentially sparking debates on states' rights versus national public health needs. The bill's emphasis on variables like child survival post-abortion may fuel partisan discussions on abortion policy.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (11)
Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK], Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT], Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND], Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE], Sen. Hagerty, Bill [R-TN], Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID], Sen. Hawley, Josh [R-MO], Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN], Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX], Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS], Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN]
Recent Actions
- 2025-01-22: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- 2025-01-22: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Ensuring Accurate and Complete Abortion Data Reporting Act of 2025 — issued 2025-01-22 — PDF (7 pages)