Pregnancy Loss Mental Health Research Act of 2026
HB9065, the Pregnancy Loss Mental Health Research Act of 2026, directs the Department of Health and Human Services, through NIH and the National Institute of Mental Health, to expand research on clinical mental health complications that can follow a pregnancy loss, including miscarriage, stillbirth, and abortion. The bill specifically calls for research into causes, improved screening and diagnosis, new treatments, and education for both health professionals and the public. It also requires a national longitudinal study to measure prevalence, symptoms, severity, and duration of these conditions, with periodic reports to Congress beginning within three years of enactment.
In addition to research, the bill expands existing Public Health Service Act grant authority so federal funds can support service delivery for people experiencing mental health conditions after pregnancy loss. Eligible projects could include outpatient and home-based services, inpatient care management, family support, transportation, respite care, counseling on financial assistance and insurance, and other coordination efforts. The bill also authorizes $4.5 million per year for fiscal years 2027 and 2028 for the research title and places limits on administrative costs and on duplicative payment from other public or private coverage sources.
The bill would amend section 317L-1 of the Public Health Service Act to explicitly include individuals who have experienced a pregnancy loss among populations eligible for maternal mental health grant activities. It would also create a new subsection authorizing grants for systems of care and support services tailored to mental health conditions following pregnancy loss, while imposing conditions on grantees, including a prohibition on funding entities that perform abortions except in limited circumstances. The measure would therefore broaden federal maternal mental health policy, add a new research mandate at NIH/NIMH, and create a new category of federally supported service delivery for affected individuals and families.
Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes, the available context does not show formal debate or a measured vote-based sentiment. Based on the bill text, the measure appears to be framed as a public health and mental health support bill, with a strong emphasis on research, screening, treatment, and service access for people experiencing pregnancy-loss-related grief and mental health complications. The inclusion of abortion-related language suggests the bill may have been designed to appeal to supporters of pregnancy-loss mental health services while also addressing concerns from anti-abortion lawmakers.
The most notable point of contention is the bill’s abortion-related eligibility restriction for grant recipients. The bill defines certain abortion-providing entities as prohibited recipients, with exceptions for rape, incest, and life-endangering physical conditions, and requires repayment if a recipient later violates its certification. That language is likely to be the main source of disagreement, with supporters of abortion access and some health providers potentially objecting to the exclusion, while supporters of the bill may view it as a necessary condition for federal funding. A secondary point of discussion could be the scope of the federal role in pregnancy-loss mental health research and whether the bill’s services and study requirements are sufficiently targeted and funded.