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People & committees
Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14] · R–TX
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jul 24, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-26 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed BOAT Act would make knowingly performing an abortion that kills a fetus a federal crime within U.S. maritime jurisdiction—federal authority over maritime matters—with specified exceptions. It would protect the woman from specified prosecutions and allow her to sue a person who performs or attempts an abortion in violation of the proposed law.
This Act may be cited as the Ban Offshore Abortion Tourism Act or the BOAT Act.
Subject to subsection (b), any person who, in the admiralty and maritime jurisdiction of the United States, knowingly performs an abortion and thereby kills a human fetus shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.
A woman upon whom an abortion in violation of subsection (a) is performed or attempted may not be prosecuted under, or for a conspiracy to violate, subsection (a), or for an offense under section 2, 3, or 4 of this title based on such a violation.
A woman upon whom an abortion has been performed or attempted in violation of any provision of this section may, in a civil action before the appropriate district court of the United States against any person who committed the violation, obtain appropriate relief.
Section 2 would add a federal criminal offense for knowingly performing an abortion that kills a fetus within U.S. admiralty and maritime jurisdiction, subject to the listed exceptions. The penalty would be a fine, up to five years in prison, or both.
Chapter 74 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1531 the following: 1532. Abortions in the admiralty and maritime jurisdiction of the United States (a) Offense Subject to subsection (b), any person who, in the admiralty and maritime jurisdiction of the United States, knowingly performs an abortion and thereby kills a human fetus shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.
The prohibition would not apply when reasonable medical judgment finds an abortion necessary to save a pregnant woman's life from a physical disorder, illness, or injury, including a life-threatening condition arising from pregnancy. Psychological and emotional conditions would not qualify for this exception.
Subsection (a) does not apply if— (1) in reasonable medical judgment, the abortion is necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, physical illness, or physical injury, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself, but not including psychological or emotional conditions;
For an adult whose pregnancy resulted from rape, an exception would require her to have obtained counseling for the rape or medical treatment for the rape or a related injury at least 48 hours before the abortion.
(2) the pregnancy is the result of rape against an adult woman, and at least 48 hours prior to the abortion— (A) she has obtained counseling for the rape; or (B) she has obtained medical treatment for the rape or an injury related to the rape;
For a minor whose pregnancy resulted from rape or incest, an exception would require reporting the rape or incest before the abortion to law enforcement or a government agency legally authorized to act on child-abuse reports.
(3) the pregnancy is a result of rape against a minor or incest against a minor, and the rape or incest has been reported at any time prior to the abortion to either— (A) a government agency legally authorized to act on reports of child abuse; or (B) a law enforcement agency.
A woman receiving or undergoing an attempted abortion in violation of the prohibition could not be prosecuted for that offense, conspiracy to commit it, or an offense under title 18, sections 2, 3, or 4 based on that violation. This protection is tied to the specified offenses.
A woman upon whom an abortion in violation of subsection (a) is performed or attempted may not be prosecuted under, or for a conspiracy to violate, subsection (a), or for an offense under section 2, 3, or 4 of this title based on such a violation.
A woman on whom an abortion was performed or attempted in violation of the proposed section could seek relief in federal district court against a person who committed the violation.
A woman upon whom an abortion has been performed or attempted in violation of any provision of this section may, in a civil action before the appropriate district court of the United States against any person who committed the violation, obtain appropriate relief.
The bill also describes a parent's right to sue over an abortion performed or attempted on a minor, excluding a parent whose criminal conduct caused the pregnancy. However, it requires both a violation and an abortion under subsection (b)(2)(B), which concerns medical treatment after rape of an adult woman. This mismatch leaves the intended reach of the parental remedy unclear.
A parent of a minor upon whom an abortion has been performed or attempted under an exception provided for in subsection (b)(2)(B), and that was performed in violation of any provision of this section may, in a civil action before the appropriate district court of the United States against any person who committed the violation obtain appropriate relief, unless the pregnancy resulted from the plaintiff’s criminal conduct.
(2) the pregnancy is the result of rape against an adult woman, and at least 48 hours prior to the abortion— (A) she has obtained counseling for the rape; or (B) she has obtained medical treatment for the rape or an injury related to the rape;
Available civil relief would include compensation for objectively verifiable physical and psychological injuries caused by the violation, an amount set by law equal to three times the abortion's cost, and punitive damages—money awarded to punish the defendant.
Appropriate relief in a civil action under this subsection includes— (A) objectively verifiable money damages for all injuries, psychological and physical, occasioned by the violation; (B) statutory damages equal to three times the cost of the abortion; and (C) punitive damages.
A court would have to award reasonable attorney's fees to a successful plaintiff, paid by the defendant. A successful defendant would receive reasonable attorney's fees from the plaintiff only if the court also found the lawsuit frivolous.
If a plaintiff in a civil action under this subsection prevails, the court shall award a reasonable attorney’s fee in favor of the plaintiff against the defendant.
If a defendant in a civil action under this subsection prevails and the court finds that the plaintiff’s suit was frivolous, the court shall award a reasonable attorney’s fee in favor of the defendant against the plaintiff.
In lawsuits under this section, the woman on whom an abortion was performed or attempted would be protected from damages, attorney's fees, and other monetary awards against her, except for the attorney's-fee rule for a successful defendant facing a frivolous lawsuit.
Except under paragraph (5), in a civil action under this subsection, no damages, attorneys’ fees, or other monetary relief may be assessed against the woman upon whom the abortion was performed or attempted.
(5) Attorneys’ fees for defendant If a defendant in a civil action under this subsection prevails and the court finds that the plaintiff’s suit was frivolous, the court shall award a reasonable attorney’s fee in favor of the defendant against the plaintiff.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated July 24, 2025, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Judiciary Committee on February 26, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2025-07-24T14:44:08Z. 2025-02-26: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. 2025-02-26: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-26. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No provision unrelated to the bill's main subject was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No qualifying narrow preferential benefit was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. Its core exceptions, protections, and civil remedies do not alone establish preferential treatment under this review. This conclusion is limited to this version.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Jul 24, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI