GOP Bill Would Require Abortionists to Report Victims of Human Trafficking

Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) introduced a bill on Thursday that would require abortion providers to file a report with the National Human Trafficking Hotline within 24 hours if they have a reasonable suspicion that a woman is a victim of human trafficking.

The bill, entitled the “Stopping Traffickers and Their Accomplices Act,” would mandate that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) then submit the report to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and local law enforcement. The legislation would also require abortion providers to participate in annual training to recognize the signs of trafficking and to certify they have taken steps to assist women who are being trafficked.

The legislation cites research showing that 71 percent of trafficked women indicated they had at least one pregnancy while they were trafficked, and nearly a third indicated they received multiple abortions. More than half of those women indicated the abortions were the result of coercion. The bill also cited the State Department’s 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report, which found that sex traffickers coerce women into receiving abortions against their will.

“Human trafficking is a horrific crime that must be confronted and eradicated. Given the nature of how abortion clinics operate, it is necessary to provide needed accountability to ensure they are not aiding and abetting the abuse of women enslaved in the sex trade,” Budd said in a statement.