H.R. 686

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 686 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 686

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the unlawful 
disposal of fetal remains.

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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 23, 2025

Mr. Latta (for himself, Mrs. Miller of Illinois, Mr. Webster of 
Florida, Mr. Harris of Maryland, Mr. Weber of Texas, and Mr. Babin) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
the Judiciary

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A BILL

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the unlawful 
disposal of fetal remains.

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 ``Protecting the Dignity of Unborn 
Children Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITING UNLAWFUL DISPOSAL OF FETAL REMAINS.

Part I of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following:

``CHAPTER 125--UNLAWFUL DISPOSAL OF FETAL REMAINS

``SEC. 2741. UNLAWFUL DISPOSAL OF FETAL REMAINS.

``(a) In General.--Whoever recklessly disposes of or abandons fetal 
remains in a landfill or in any of the navigable waters of the United 
States shall be imprisoned not more than 3 years or fined under this 
title, or both.
``(b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to authorize the prosecution of any woman for the disposal of 
the remains of her unborn child.
``(c) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Fetal remains.--The term `fetal remains' means any 
part of a human fetus that is deceased by reason of an 
abortion, but does not include any such part that has been 
cremated.
``(2) Landfill.--The term `landfill' means a sanitary 
landfill, as such term is defined in section 1004(26) of the 
Solid Waste Disposal Act.
``(3) Navigable waters.--The term `navigable waters' has 
the meaning given such term in section 502(7) of the Federal 
Water Pollution Control Act.''.
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