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U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, a Republican who represents southeastern Wisconsin, has not said he supports “surveillance of pregnancies.”

The surveillance claim was part of a Sept. 3, 2024, attack ad on Steil about abortion. The ad was from Democrat Peter Barca, who is running against Steil in the Nov. 5 election.

Barca’s spokesperson cited no evidence to back the claim, only Steil’s endorsement of former President Donald Trump and Trump’s statement that states should decide whether to monitor pregnancies.

Steil’s spokesperson said he doesn’t support “any such type of surveillance including pregnancy surveillance, whatever that term means.”

A policy initiative with contributions from many former Trump administration officials, Project 2025, calls for the federal Health and Human Services Department to “ensure that every state reports exactly how many abortions take place” and “ensure that statistics are separated by category,” including spontaneous miscarriage.

Trump has distanced himself from the plan.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Peter Barca for Congress: Different Styles

X: Bryan Steil post

Time: How Far Trump Would Go

Wisconsin Watch: Donald Trump: Plans to force states to report miscarriages?