,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fhhc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #ah1 #bjbe,mr4 ,min 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,tokuda1 ,ms4 ,randall1 ,ms4 ,pou1 ,ms4 ,mc,donald ,rivet1 ,ms4 ,mc,bride1 ,ms4 ,johnson of ,texas1 ,ms4 ,ansari1 ,ms4 ,wasserman ,schultz1 ,mr4 ,walkinshaw1 ,ms4 ,garcia of ,texas1 ,ms4 ,simon1 ,ms4 ,scholten1 ,mrs4 ,sykes1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,mr4 ,deluzio1 ,mr4 ,goldman of ,new ,york1 and ,ms4 ,ross7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to define reproductive coercion as a form of domestic violence1 to provide ,federal judges the authority to intervene in certain cases of domestic violence1 and to create a private right of action for victims of domestic violence1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,reproductive ,coercion ,prevention and ,protection ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,according to the ,national ,coalition ,against ,domestic ,violence and the ,national ,domestic ,violence ,hotline1 between #aj1jjj1jjj to #ab1jjj1jjj women and men become victims of domestic violence each year4 7#b7 ,a person can experience domestic violence though either intimate partner violence1 such as with a current or former dating partner1 or non-intimate partner violence1 such as those with whom the person has a familial relationship4 7#c7 ,intimate partner violence has affected both women and men across the ,united ,states4 ,for example1 roughly #bj people every minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the ,united ,states4 ,in particular1 women between the ages of #ah to #cd experience the highest rates of intimate partner violence of any group1 with over one third of murdered women in #bjba were killed in relation to intimate partner violence4 7#d7 ,reproductive coercion is a form of intimate violence by an intimate partner1 dating partner1 domestic partner1 or spouse against a person that involves behaviors to exert control over a person's reproductive autonomy4 7#e7 ,reproductive coercion affects people across a wide array of socioeconomic and demographic backgrounds4 7#f7 ,common forms of reproductive coercion include sabotaging contraceptive methods and coercing or forcing a person to either become pregnant or terminate a pregnancy4 7#g7 ,studies indicate that eight percent to sixteen percent of adult women in the ,united ,states have experienced some form of reproductive coercion4 ,for example1 one-quarter of abuse survivors report that their abusive partners have forced them to become pregnant4 ,additionally1 over two-thirds of women in physically abusive relationships also experience sexual assault by the intimate partner1 and those women are at heightened risk of homicide4 7#h7 ,homicide is a leading cause of mortality for pregnant and postpartum women in the ,united ,states4 7#i7 ,persons experiencing reproductive coercion are traveling across ,state lines to neighboring states to access reproductive health care1 including when they lack access to reproductive health care providers4 7#aj7 ,due to ,state-level reproductive health care laws1 some private companies have adjusted corporate policies to provide1 among other provisions1 travel reimbursements for employees who need to access out-of-,state reproductive health care4 7#aa7 ,many health insurance plans and medical providers commonly offer mail-order delivery of birth control1 ensuring timely access to medication without the need for in-person visits4 ,concerningly1 persons experiencing reproductive coercion have reported instances where an intimate partner sabotaged or destroyed their mail-order birth control4 7#ab7 ,health care insurance markets may cover or operate across multiple ,states and may be impacted by different ,state regulations concerning reproductive health care and services4 #c4 ,reproductive coercion 7a7 ,definition ,title ,,iv of the ,violent ,crime ,control and ,law ,enforcement ,act of #aiid 7#cd ,u4,s4 ,code #abbia et seq47 is amended-- 7#a7 in section #djjjb-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#ab71 by inserting the phrase 1 including reproductive coercion after the phrase coercive behavior2 7,b7 by adding at the end the following3 7#ec7 ,reproductive coercion ,the term reproductive coercion-- 7,a7 means control over the reproductive autonomy of another through sexual assault1 force1 threat of force1 or intimidation2 and 7,b7 includes-- 7i7 pressuring or coercing another to become pregnant or to terminate a pregnancy2 7ii7 deliberately or physically impeding1 manipulating1 or sabotaging contraception use or access to reproductive health information2 or 7iii7 using coercive or manipulative tactics to control1 or attempt to control1 a pregnancy outcome either by the continuation of a pregnancy or the termination of a pregnancy4 2 and 7#b7 by adding after section #djbba the following3 #djbbb4 ,civil action for reproductive coercion and domestic violence 7a7 ,private right of action ,an individual alleging that a covered defendant1 in the circumstances described under subsection 7b71 engaged in domestic violence may bring a civil action against such covered defendant in a court of competent jurisdiction for damages under subsection 7c74 7b7 ,circumstances described ,for the purposes of subsection 7a71 the circumstances described in this subsection are that-- 7#a7 the covered defendant or victim traveled in interstate or foreign commerce1 or traveled using means1 channel1 or facility1 or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce1 in furtherance of the conduct described in subsection 7a72 7#b7 the covered defendant used a means1 channel1 facility1 or instrumentality of foreign commerce in furtherance of the conduct described in subsection 7a72 7#c7 any payment of any kind was made1 directly or indirectly1 in furtherance of the conduct described in subsection 7a7 using any means1 channel1 facility1 or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce2 7#d7 the covered defendant transmitted in interstate or foreign commerce any communication in furtherance of the conduct described in subsection 7a7 using any means1 channel1 facility1 or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means or in any manner1 including by computer1 mail1 wire1 or electromagnetic transmission2 7#e7 any instrument1 item1 substance1 or other object that has traveled in interstate or foreign commerce was used to perform the conduct described in subsection 7a72 7#f7 the conduct described in subsection 7a7 occurred within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the ,united ,states1 or any territory or possession of the ,united ,states2 or 7#g7 the conduct described in subsection 7a7 otherwise occurred in or affected interstate or foreign commerce4 7c7 ,damages ,in a civil action brought under subsection 7a71 the court may award-- 7#a7 actual damages2 7#b7 punitive damages2 and 7#c7 any other relief the court determines appropriate1 including injunctive relief4 7d7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this ,act shall be construed to-- 7#a7 modify1 limit1 or supersede the ability of a ,state court to grant or take away custody of children1 property1 or pets shared between the parties to the case2 7#b7 modify1 limit1 or supersede the jurisdiction of a ,state court2 7#c7 modify1 limit1 or supersede a ,state definition of domestic violence or reproductive coercion for the purpose of ,state law or any remedy available under ,state law2 or 7#d7 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 appropriate4 7e7 ,definitions ,in this section-- 7#a7 ,domestic violence ,the term domestic violence means any violation of the law of the jurisdiction where the conduct occurred or the victim resides1 by a covered defendant1 including-- 7,a7 the use or attempted use of physical abuse or sexual abuse2 7,b7 a single instance or pattern of reproductive coercion2 and 7,c7 any coercive behavior committed to gain or maintain power and control over a victim1 including verbal1 psychological1 economic1 or technological abuse4 7#b7 ,covered defendant ,the term covered defendant means1 an individual1 who with respect to a victim-- 7,a7 is the spouse1 intimate partner1 dating partner1 or domestic partner or a previous spouse1 intimate partner1 dating partner1 or domestic partner2 7,b7 is a person similarly situated to a spouse or previous spouse2 7,c7 is cohabitating1 or has cohabitated1 with the victim2 7,d7 shares a child in common with the victim2 or 7,e7 is a non-intimate partner with a familial relationship1 including a grandparent1 aunt or uncle1 parent1 brother1 sister1 or in-law4 4