Virginia · 2027 Regular Session

HB1398 Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team; established, definitions, penalty, report.

Direction

Abortion exceptionsAI label

Expands abortion access model confidence 80%

Excludes reviews of fetal deaths resulting from voluntary or therapeutic termination of pregnancy from the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team's systematic analysis of causes and prevention of fetal and infant deaths.

This section shall not apply to the review of a fetal death that is the result of a voluntary or therapeutic termination of pregnancy.

✓ Quote verified word for word in the bill text

Filed (completed)
Committee (completed)
Passed one chamber
Passed both
Governor
Law

Stage: Passed one chamber · step 3 of 6

Last action: 2026-07-21: Continued from last session
Filed: 2026-01-22
Committee: Finance and Appropriations
Sponsor: Margaret Franklin D + 5 cosponsors (5 D)

Read official text (Comm Sub)Legislature page LegiScan

Why the model tagged it this way: The bill creates a Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team to analyze and recommend ways to prevent fetal and infant deaths but explicitly excludes voluntary or therapeutic terminations of pregnancy from review. This carves out an exception that leaves abortion-related fetal deaths outside the scope of the team's prevention-focused work, which expands legal access to abortion relative to a regime that would include such cases in mortality reviews aimed at decreasing their incidence.

Related bills

HB1398 Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team; established, definitions, penalty, report.Restricts abortion access Restricts abortion access Died (session ended)
SB449 Constitutional amendment; fundamental right to reproductive freedom(submitting to qualified voters).Expands abortion access Expands abortion access Law
SB548 Abortion; born alive infant, treatment and care, penalty.Restricts abortion access No change to abortion access Died (session ended)
HB336 Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team; established, penalty, report.No change to abortion access No change to abortion access Died (session ended)

Text versions

Introduced 2026-01-22
Comm Sub 2026-02-11
Comm Sub 2026-02-11
Comm Sub 2026-02-11

History (28 actions)

Date	Chamber	Action
2026-07-21	S	Continued from last session
2026-03-09	S	Continued to next session in Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N)
2026-02-26	S	Reported from Education and Health and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)
2026-02-24	S	Assigned Education sub: Health
2026-02-18	S	Referred to Committee on Education and Health
2026-02-18	S	Constitutional reading dispensed (on 1st reading)
2026-02-17	H	Read third time and passed House (92-Y 5-N 0-A)
2026-02-16	H	Engrossed by House - committee substitute
2026-02-16	H	committee substitute agreed to
2026-02-16	H	committee amendments rejected
2026-02-16	H	Read second time
2026-02-16	H	Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1398)
2026-02-13	H	Read first time
2026-02-11	H	Reported from Appropriations with substitute (22-Y 0-N)
2026-02-11	H	Reconsidered by Appropriations (Voice Vote)
2026-02-11	H	Reported from Appropriations with substitute (22-Y 0-N)
2026-02-11	H	Committee substitute printed 26107759D-H1
2026-02-11	H	Incorporates HB336 (Anthony)
2026-02-11	H	House subcommittee offered
2026-02-11	H	Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 0-N)
2026-02-10	H	Assigned HAPP sub: Health & Human Resources
2026-02-10	H	Reported from Health and Human Services with amendment(s) and referred to Appropriations (21-Y 1-N)
2026-02-05	H	Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) and referring to Appropriations (7-Y 1-N)
2026-02-05	H	House subcommittee offered
2026-02-02	H	Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1398)
2026-01-27	H	Assigned sub: Behavioral Health
2026-01-22	H	Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services
2026-01-22	H	Presented and ordered printed 26103004D