Calendar No. 472
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Calendar No. 472 105TH CONGRESS REPORT 2d Session SENATE 105±268 "! THE CHILD CUSTODY PROTECTION ACT JULY 27, 1998.ÐOrdered to be printed Mr. HATCH, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the following REPORT together with MINORITY VIEWS [To accompany S. 1645] The Committee on the Judiciary, to which was referred the bill (S. 1645) to amend provisions of title 18, United States Code, to prohibit taking minors across State lines to avoid laws requiring the involvement of parents in abortion decisions, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon, with an amendment in the na- ture of a substitute, and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass. CONTENTS Page I. Purpose ........................................................................................................... 3 II. Legislative history ......................................................................................... 3 III. Discussion ....................................................................................................... 4 IV. Vote of the Committee ................................................................................... 23 V. Section-by-section analysis ............................................................................ 24 VI. Cost estimate .................................................................................................. 26 VII. Regulatory impact statement ........................................................................ 27 VIII. Minority views of Senators Leahy, Kennedy, Feinstein, Feingold, Dur- bin, and Torricelli ....................................................................................... 28 IX. Changes in existing law ................................................................................ 51 The amendment is as follows: Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Child Custody Protection Act''. 59±010 2 SEC. 2. TRANSPORTATION OF MINORS TO AVOID CERTAIN LAWS RELATING TO ABORTION. (a) IN GENERAL.ÐTitle 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after chapter 117 the following: ``CHAPTER 117AÐTRANSPORTATION OF MINORS TO AVOID CERTAIN LAWS RELATING TO ABORTION ``Sec. ``2401. Transportation of minors to avoid certain laws relating to abortion. ``§ 2401. Transportation of minors to avoid certain laws relating to abortion ``(a) OFFENSE.Ð ``(1) GENERALLY.ÐExcept as provided in subsection (b), whoever knowingly transports an individual who has not attained the age of 18 years across a State line, with the intent that such individual obtain an abortion, and thereby in fact abridges the right of a parent under a law, requiring parental involvement in a minor's abortion decision, of the State where the individual resides, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. ``(2) DEFINITION.ÐFor the purposes of this subsection, an abridgement of the right of a parent occurs if an abortion is performed on the individual, in a State other than the State where the individual resides, without the parental consent or notification, or the judicial authorization, that would have been required by that law had the abortion been performed in the State where the individual re- sides. ``(b) EXCEPTIONS.Ð ``(1) The prohibition of subsection (a) does not apply if the abortion was nec- essary to save the life of the minor because her life was endangered by a phys- ical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness, including a life endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself. ``(2) An individual transported in violation of this section, and any parent of that individual, may not be prosecuted or sued for a violation of this section, a conspiracy to violate this section, or an offense under section 2 or 3 based on a violation of this section. ``(c) AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE.ÐIt is an affirmative defense to a prosecution for an offense, or to a civil action, based on a violation of this section that the defendant reasonably believed, based on information the defendant obtained directly from a parent of the individual or other compelling facts, that before the individual ob- tained the abortion, the parental consent or notification, or judicial authorization took place that would have been required by the law requiring parental involvement in a minor's abortion decision, had the abortion been performed in the State where the individual resides. ``(d) CIVIL ACTION.ÐAny parent who suffers legal harm from a violation of sub- section (a) may obtain appropriate relief in a civil action. ``(e) DEFINITIONS.ÐFor the purposes of this sectionÐ ``(1) a law requiring parental involvement in a minor's abortion decision is a lawÐ ``(A) requiring, before an abortion is performed on a minor, eitherÐ ``(i) the notification to, or consent of, a parent of that minor; or ``(ii) proceedings in a State court; and ``(B) that does not provide as an alternative to the requirements described in subparagraph (A) notification to or consent of any person or entity who is not described in that subparagraph; ``(2) the term `parent' meansÐ ``(A) a parent or guardian; ``(B) a legal custodian; or ``(C) a person standing in loco parentis who has care and control of the minor, and with whom the minor regularly resides; who is designated by the law requiring parental involvement in the minor's abortion decision as a person to whom notification, or from whom consent, is required; ``(3) the term `minor' means an individual who is not older than the maximum age requiring parental notification or consent, or proceedings in a State court, under the law requiring parental involvement in a minor's abortion decision; and ``(4) the term `State' includes the District of Columbia and any commonwealth, possession, or other territory of the United States.''. 3 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.ÐThe table of chapters for part I of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to chapter 117 the fol- lowing new item: ``117A. Transportation of minors to avoid certain laws relating to abortion ................................................... 2401.''. I. PURPOSE S. 1645, the Child Custody Protection Act, has one simple pur- pose: to help prevent circumvention of duly enacted State laws that seek to promote parental involvement in a minor daughter's deci- sion with respect to abortion. These State laws are designed to ac- complish two objectives. The first is to protect the rights of parents to be involved in the moral and medical decisions of their minor daughters. The second is to protect the health and safety of chil- dren. The Supreme Court has upheld these laws as legitimate ef- forts to protect familial relations. Unfortunately, too often they are being circumvented by third parties who are taking minors across State lines without their parents' knowledge so that the abortion may be performed in a State that does not require parental in- volvement. S. 1645 addresses this problem by prohibiting the knowing trans- portation of a minor across a State line with the intent that she obtain an abortion, in circumvention of a State's parental consent or parental notification law. Violation of the act is a class A mis- demeanor. The act also allows a parent who has been injured by a violation of the act to seek relief through a civil action. S. 1645 will strengthen the effectiveness of State laws designed to protect familial relations and safeguard children from health and safety risks in this area. These laws recognize that a girl's parents will generally be the best source of guidance for her as she is decid- ing about abortion. Parents will also have the most knowledge about their daughter's prior psychological and medical history and can therefore provide critical information in determining the best medical course for their daughter. Finally, parents are usually the only people who can provide authorization for postabortion medical procedures or the release of pertinent data from family physicians. When a pregnant girl is taken to have an abortion without her par- ents' knowledge, she is denied their advice and assistance, and the risks to her health increase significantly. S. 1645 does not supersede, override, or in any way alter existing State laws regarding minors' abortions. Nor does the act impose any Federal parental notice or consent requirement; rather, it merely provides assistance to States that have elected to adopt such requirements in securing their effectuation. II. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY This legislation was introduced on February 12, 1998, by Senator Abraham, with the cosponsorship of Senator Lott, Senator DeWine, Senator Inhofe, Senator Nickles, Senator Coverdell, Senator Helms, Senator Coats, Senator Sessions, Senator Enzi, Senator Craig, Sen- ator Kyl, Senator Hatch, Senator Faircloth, Senator Brownback, Senator Santorum, Senator McConnell, Senator Hutchinson, Sen- ator Bond, and Senator Grassley. Senator McCain, Senator Grams, Senator Hagel, Senator Burns, and Senator Smith of New Hamp- shire subsequently were added as cosponsors. The bill was referred 4 to the Committee on the Judiciary, where a hearing was held on May 20. The Committee marked up the bill on July 9 and July 16, whereupon it reported the bill out with a favorable recommenda- tion by a 10-to-6 vote. III. DISCUSSION A. NEED FOR THE LEGISLATION S. 1645, the Child Custody Protection Act, is designed to address the problem of people transporting minor girls across State lines and thereby circumventing