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Issue record

Abortion

In short

Janelle Stelson's campaign would restore Roe v. Wade's protections in law. Scott Perry's campaign opposes abortion except for rape, incest and the mother's life, and would defund Planned Parenthood. Perry voted for 20-week bans with exceptions for her life, rape and incest against a minor, and cosponsored bills with a life exception alone or none. He voted for a 2025 law pausing some abortion providers' Medicaid payments; no bill naming Planned Parenthood became law.

Campaign positions

What each campaign says.

Janelle Stelson

Would work to restore in law the protections Roe v. Wade gave.

Scott Perry

Opposes abortion with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. Opposes taxpayer funding of abortion and supports defunding Planned Parenthood.

Evidence timeline

What the record shows.

  1. official action

    Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

    He voted for 20-week bans with exceptions for the mother's life, rape and incest against a minor, but cosponsored a heartbeat ban with only a life exception and a bill naming no exceptions.

    Read the full check

    Full detail

    His campaign says he makes exceptions for rape, incest and danger to the life of the mother. He voted for the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act in 2013, 2015 and 2017 and cosponsored it in five Congresses. It bans most abortions from 20 weeks, with exceptions for the mother's life, rape, and incest against a minor. He also cosponsored the Heartbeat Protection Act in 2017, 2019 and 2021, a ban once a heartbeat is detectable whose only exception is the mother's life. And he has cosponsored the Life at Conception Act, which names no exceptions, in every Congress since 2017. Limit: His record points both ways. The 20-week bans he voted for carry his exceptions; the heartbeat ban he cosponsored three times excepts only the mother's life.

  2. official action

    Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

    He voted for the 2015 Defund Planned Parenthood Act, which did not become law, and the 2025 law barring Medicaid payments for a year to some family-planning providers that perform abortions.

    Read the full check

    Full detail

    His campaign says he opposes taxpayer funding of abortion and supports defunding Planned Parenthood. In 2015 he voted for the Defund Planned Parenthood Act, which named the group and passed the House 241-187. In 2017 he voted for the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which passed the House 238-183. He was an original cosponsor of the 2017 Defund Planned Parenthood Act and of the 2021 and 2023 abortion-funding bans. In 2025 he voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, whose section 71113 bars Medicaid payments for one year to nonprofit family-planning providers that perform abortions. Limit: None of the bills naming Planned Parenthood became law. The 2025 law describes a class of providers instead of naming it.

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Sources19 source records

How we use sources

  1. Janelle Stelson for Congress, prioritieshttps://janellestelson.com/priorities/

    Friends of Janelle Stelson · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Captured 2026-10-01; about 3,000 words under eleven headings. Much of it is about Perry, which is out of scope here.

    candidate statement

    For: Janelle Stelson: campaign position

  2. Patriots for Perry, issueshttps://patriotsforperry.com/issues/

    Patriots for Perry · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Captured 2026-10-01; 1,060 words under twelve headings. Undated; several passages still refer to the Biden-Harris administration.

    candidate statement

    For: Scott Perry: campaign position; Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

  3. House roll call 251, 2013 (document)

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    On passage of H.R. 1797, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, 2013-06-18. Passed 228-196. Perry (P000605) recorded Yea. He was a cosponsor.

    official legislative record

    For: Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

  4. House roll call 223, 2015 (document)

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    On passage of H.R. 36, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, 2015-05-13. Passed 242-184. Perry (P000605) recorded Aye. He was a cosponsor.

    official legislative record

    For: Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

  5. House roll call 549, 2017 (document)

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    On passage of H.R. 36, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, 2017-10-03. Passed 237-189. Perry (P000605) recorded Aye. He was a cosponsor.

    official legislative record

    For: Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

  6. H.R. 36, Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (115th Congress)https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/36

    Congress.gov · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Sponsored by Rep. Franks. Perry cosponsored it on 2017-09-08. He cosponsored the Act in five Congresses: H.R. 1797 (113th), H.R. 36 (114th), H.R. 36 (115th), H.R. 784 (116th) and H.R. 1080 (117th). The 2013, 2015 and 2017 versions passed the House with his vote.

    official legislative record

    For: Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

  7. H.R. 36, as passed by the House, 2017https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-115hr36eh/html/BILLS-115hr36eh.htm

    U.S. Government Publishing Office · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Bars most abortions at 20 weeks after fertilization or later. Exceptions: to save the pregnant woman's life; a pregnancy from rape against an adult woman, after counselling or medical treatment; and rape or incest against a minor that has been reported.

    official legislative record

    For: Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

  8. H.R. 490, Heartbeat Protection Act of 2017https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/490

    Congress.gov · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Sponsored by Rep. King of Iowa. Perry cosponsored it on 2017-01-23. He also cosponsored the 2019 version (H.R. 490, 116th) and the 2021 version (H.R. 705, 117th). None left committee.

    official legislative record

    For: Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

  9. H.R. 490 (115th), as introducedhttps://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-115hr490ih/html/BILLS-115hr490ih.htm

    U.S. Government Publishing Office · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Makes it a federal crime for a physician to perform an abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detectable. The only exception is an abortion necessary to save the mother's life; the text does not mention rape or incest. The 2019 and 2021 versions (BILLS-116hr490ih, BILLS-117hr705ih) read the same on this point.

    official legislative record

    For: Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

  10. H.R. 722, Life at Conception Act (119th Congress)https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/722

    Congress.gov · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Sponsored by Rep. Burlison, introduced 2025-01-24. Perry added his name on 2026-02-10. He cosponsored the Act in every Congress since 2017: H.R. 681 (115th), H.R. 616 (116th), H.R. 1011 (117th, original) and H.R. 431 (118th, original). None left committee.

    official legislative record

    For: Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

  11. H.R. 722, as introducedhttps://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr722ih/html/BILLS-119hr722ih.htm

    U.S. Government Publishing Office · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Declares that the constitutional right to life is vested in each human being, defined to include every stage of life from the moment of fertilization. It names no exception and no medical procedure, and says nothing in it authorises prosecuting a woman for the death of her unborn child.

    official legislative record

    For: Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

  12. House roll call 505, 2015 (document)

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    On passage of H.R. 3134, the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015, 2015-09-18. Passed 241-187. Perry (P000605) recorded Aye.

    official legislative record

    For: Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

  13. H.R. 3134, Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015, as passed by the Househttps://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-114hr3134eh/html/BILLS-114hr3134eh.htm

    U.S. Government Publishing Office · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Section 3 would bar federal funds for one year to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates and clinics, by name, unless they certified they would not perform abortions.

    official legislative record

    For: Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

  14. House roll call 65, 2017 (document)

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    On passage of H.R. 7, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2017, 2017-01-24. Passed 238-183. Perry (P000605) recorded Aye.

    official legislative record

    For: Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

  15. H.R. 7, No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, as passed by the House, 2017https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-115hr7eh/html/BILLS-115hr7eh.htm

    U.S. Government Publishing Office · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    New section 301 of title 1: no funds authorized or appropriated by federal law shall be expended for any abortion.

    official legislative record

    For: Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

  16. H.R. 354, Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2017https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/354

    Congress.gov · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Sponsored by Rep. Diane Black. Perry was an original cosponsor on 2017-01-06, one of 147. Referred to committee; no further action.

    official legislative record

    For: Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

  17. H.R. 7, No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2023https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7

    Congress.gov · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith. Perry was an original cosponsor on 2023-01-09, one of 183. He was also an original cosponsor of the 2021 version, H.R. 18. Neither passed.

    official legislative record

    For: Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

  18. House roll call 190, 2025 (document)

    Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    On the motion to concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, 2025-07-03. Passed 218-214. Perry (P000605) recorded Aye. Became Public Law 119-21. He had voted Yea on House passage on 2025-05-22 (roll 145), which carried 215-214.

    official legislative record

    For: Scott Perry: Matches stated direction

  19. Public Law 119-21 (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act)https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-119publ21/html/PLAW-119publ21.htm

    U.S. Government Publishing Office · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Approved July 4, 2025. Section 70101 extends the 2017 lower individual tax rates; section 70105 extends the qualified business income deduction; section 71113 bars Medicaid payments for one year to a class of nonprofit family-planning providers that perform abortions other than in cases of rape, incest or danger to the woman's life. The law does not name Planned Parenthood. Section 90001 funds border infrastructure and wall; section 90003 funds immigration detention capacity. Section 71201 limits Medicare to citizens, permanent residents, Cuban and Haitian entrants and people living here under a Compact of Free Association.

    official legislative record

    For: Scott Perry: Matches stated direction