House bill would strip 1800s Comstock Act abortion mail ban from federal law
In committeeH.R. 2029Latest action
Sponsor: Becca Balint · Representative · VT
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Official title: Stop Comstock Act
119th Congress
Topics: Crime & justice
Introduced:
Read the official bill on Congress.govIn plain words
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HR 2029 would remove Comstock Act language banning mail or import of abortion pills and contraception, leaving obscenity rules intact.
55-second read · 4 questions answered below
What does this do?
HR 2029 would amend federal laws dating to the 1800s, known as the Comstock Act, by removing language that prohibits mailing or importing items related to abortion, contraception, and material labeled indecent or immoral. Rules against mailing or importing obscene material would remain in place. The bill would eliminate a legal argument that has been used to claim federal law can block abortion medication even in states where abortion is legal.
Who does it affect?
People who receive abortion medication or contraception by mail, healthcare providers who prescribe or ship those items, and pharmacies or companies that distribute them would be most directly affected. Federal agencies and courts interpreting what the government may block at the border or through the postal system could also be affected.
Why does it matter?
Without this language in federal law, the Comstock Act could no longer be used as a legal basis to block abortion pills or contraception from being mailed or imported into the United States. The bill has been in the House and has not yet been voted on.
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Where does it stand?
- IntroducedMar 11, 2025
- House committeeYou are here · Mar 11, 2025
- House vote
- Senate
- The president's desk
Right now: a House committee is reviewing it. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the president.
Latest action: — Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.