[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9196 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9196
To prohibit consideration of pregnancy status when filing for divorce.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 30, 2024
Mr. Cleaver (for himself, Mrs. Foushee, Mrs. Peltola, Ms. Lee of
California, Ms. Brownley, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Johnson of
Georgia, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Ms. Tokuda, Mr. Casten, Mr. Trone,
Mrs. Dingell, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. McCollum, Mrs. Watson
Coleman, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Espaillat, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Mr. Davis of
North Carolina, Ms. Ross, Ms. Adams, Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Lee of
Pennsylvania, Mrs. Fletcher, Ms. Crockett, and Ms. Norton) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To prohibit consideration of pregnancy status when filing for divorce.
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 ``Pregnancy Empowerment Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds as follows:
(1) Throughout calendar year 2024, national news media
reported that several States, in practice, will not finalize a
divorce for pregnant people.
(2) Many States, in practice, delay, prohibit, or limit
divorce until the baby's delivery, allowing the court to
determine paternity status and parental rights.
(3) Non-Invasive Prenatal Paternity (NIPP) tests can now
determine paternal status with blood samples from the mother
and alleged father and achieve an accuracy rate of 99.9
percent.
(4) Pregnant people are at an increased risk of
experiencing intimate partner violence.
(5) Women of color are disproportionately impacted by
domestic violence and are more likely to die at the hands of an
abuser.
(6) Black women are murdered by men at three times the rate
of their white counterparts.
(7) Black women living with a partner are six times more
likely to experience domestic violence.
(8) An estimated 324,000 pregnant people experience
intimate partner violence in the United States per year.
(9) When reported and detected, prevalence of intimate
partner violence during pregnancy can range as high as 35
percent.
(10) Reproductive coercion can prevent women in abusive
marriages from finalizing a divorce, keeping women in abusive
relationships.
(11) One in 6 abused women were first abused during
pregnancy.
(12) Homicide is the second leading cause of traumatic
death for pregnant and recently pregnant people, accounting for
31 percent of maternal injury deaths.
(13) Women living in poverty are twice as likely to
experience intimate partner violence.
(14) People experiencing intimate partner violence often
rely on the emergency room due to financial concerns and
coercion and control from their abusers.
(15) Divorce has a profound economic impact, often
implicating interstate commerce and assets.
(16) The median American divorce costs $7,000 and the
average American divorce costs $15,000.
(17) Contested divorces involving child custody debate can
cost over $100,000.
(18) Of the $27.4 billion reported by the FY 2022 Office of
Child Support Services Preliminary Data Report, $1.4 billion
came from interstate cases.
(19) Divorces dissolve many financial assets, many of which
may cross State lines, including--
(A) real estate;
(B) outstanding debts;
(C) investments;
(D) retirement savings;
(E) property; and
(F) business interests.
(20) Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 of the U.S.
Constitution provides Congress the power to regulate interstate
commerce.
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION AGAINST CONSIDERATION OF PREGNANCY STATUS WHEN
FILING FOR DIVORCE.
No State may take pregnancy status into consideration when
considering the filing of a petition for divorce.
<all>