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HR 684 115th Congress House

Every Child is a Blessing Act of 2017

Official title: To prohibit recovery of damages in certain wrongful birth and wrongful life civil actions, and for other purposes.

Introduced: January 24, 2017 See on congress.gov
Law AbortionCivil actions and liabilitySex and reproductive health
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This bill died when the 115th Congress ended
It never became law before the 115th Congress (2017–2018) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Feb 14, 2017
Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
Jan 24, 2017
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Jan 24, 2017
Introduced in House
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 Latest action February 14, 2017

Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Every Child is a Blessing Act of 2017

This bill prohibits recovery of damages in certain civil actions based on a claim that, but for the conduct of the defendant, a child, once conceived, would not or should not have been born.

The prohibition applies to claims based on a child's disability, defect, abnormality, race, sex, or other inborn characteristic.

The bill bars such prohibition from being construed to: (1) provide a defense against charges of intentional misrepresentation in state proceedings regulating the professional practices of health care providers and practitioners; (2) provide a defense in any criminal action, including cases of rape or incest; or (3) limit damages in cases where the conduct of the defendant caused personal injury or death to the child or gestational mother.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
 Cosponsors 3
All 3 Republican 2
Harper, Gregg
· Jan 24, 2017
 R
Palmer, Gary J.
Alabama · Jan 24, 2017
 R
Weber, Randy K. Sr.
Texas · Jan 24, 2017
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 684: Every Child is a Blessing Act of 2017. 115th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-684/
MLA
"H.R. 684: Every Child is a Blessing Act of 2017." 115th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-684/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 684, 115th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-684/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 684: Every Child is a Blessing Act of 2017](https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-684/)
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