Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act

This bill, titled the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, creates federal mechanisms intended to deter and punish efforts to transport a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion in order to circumvent a state’s parental involvement laws. It does two related things: (1) adds criminal provisions (and civil remedies) for transporting a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion in a state where the parent’s involvement requirements would apply, and (2) requires physicians performing abortions on minors who come from another state to provide parental notification to the minor’s parent (with several exceptions). The act defines key terms (such as “abortion,” “minor,” and “parent”), clarifies when defenses and exceptions apply, and sets an effective date 45 days after enactment. It also includes a separate provision addressing acts of incest involving a minor transported across state lines for abortion. In short, the bill aims to prevent, at the federal level, strategies to bypass parental involvement requirements by traveling to another state for an abortion, while imposing notification requirements on physicians for out-of-state minor residents and creating possible penalties for violations.