H.R. 6883

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6883 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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.''.
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