Bioethics Public Policy Report: March 18, 2025
STATE By State
In Wyoming, Gov. Mark Gordon signed into law a Religious Freedom Restoration Act, becoming the 29th state to pass such legislation. The law prohibits “substantially burden[ing] a person's right to the exercise of religion, even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability,” with limited exceptions. For further information, click here.
Gov. Gordon of Wyoming also vetoed a trigger law that would ban abortion in the state either on March 13, 2026, or if the state supreme court finds the current abortion ban illegal. Gov. Gordon’s rationale was that the law would increase confusion regarding the state’s laws on abortion. For further information, click here.
In Oregon, Gov. Tina Kotek declared March 10 “Abortion Provider Appreciation Day” as part of “her administration’s commitment to maintaining access to abortion care” in the state. In a pastoral letter, Archbishop Alexander Sample of the Archdiocese of Portland condemned the measure as a “celebration of death.” To read Archbishop Sample’s letter, click here. For further information, click here.
In Nevada, a bill has been proposed in the legislature that would legalize a euthanasia pill in the state. A similar bill passed in the legislature two years ago but was vetoed by Gov. Joe Lombardo. To track the bill, click here. For further information, click here.
Texas Republicans have filed a bill entitled “Life of the Mother Act” that would not expand access to abortion but would clarify for doctors when they may intervene to save the life of the mother. The purpose of the clarification is “so that doctors are not in fear of being penalized if they think the life of the mother is at risk.” To track the bill, click here. For further information, click here.
In Louisiana, a state resident pleaded not guilty to obtaining chemical abortion pills from a doctor in New York and giving them to her teenage daughter. The arraignment of the Louisiana woman is part of an ongoing controversy regarding New York’s “shield laws” for abortion providers mailing abortifacients across state lines. For further information, click here.
Federal Courts
A federal district court judge in Maryland extended the nationwide injunction on enforcement of President Trump’s executive order halting transgender procedures on minors. If the injunction stays in place, it will prevent enforcement for the duration of the litigation over the executive order. For further information, click here.
The Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) is moving to drop the Biden administration’s lawsuit against Idaho over the statewide abortion ban. The Biden administration had argued that the law violated the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). Boise-based St. Luke’s health system sue the state over the measure in anticipation of the DOJ dropping the case under the Trump administration. For further information, click here.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case challenging the constitutionality of Colorado’s ban on “conversion therapy.” The challenger, a Christian counselor represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, asserts that the law is a violation of the First Amendment. For further information, click here.
national
Through the filibuster, Senate Democrats have blocked a Republican bill that would have banned biological males from participating in women’s sports. The bill mirrored President Trump’s executive order on the topic. The United State Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement on the failure of the bill with their continued support for the values expressed in the bill. To read the USCCB’s statement, click here. For further information, click here.
President Trump’s nominee to head the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, said in his senate confirmation hearing that he would not allow the use aborted fetal tissue in research, citing that it “is not just an ethical issue, but it’s a public health issue.” For further information, click here.
Senate Democrats have filed a bill to repeal the Comstock Act, which bans the mailing of abortifacients, amid fears of the Trump administration enforcing the Act. The Comstock Act, passed in 1873, has not been enforced since at least 1973 following the Roe v. Wade decision. For further information, click here.
international
In Mexico, Catholic bishops have been warning of the “manifestations of death that have been taking place” following the decriminalization of abortion alongside widespread violence caused by organized crime throughout the country. On a related note, Catholic churches in Mexico have been targeted for vandalism from pro-abortion groups. For further information, click here and here.
In the United Kingdom, Parliament is considering a bill that would legalize outsourcing of physician assisted suicide to the private sector in an effort to reduce the National Health Service’s waitlist. For further information, click here.
In India, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mohan Yadav, announced his plans to amend the state’s law on rape of minors to punish religious conversions “through fraudulent means” with the death penalty. Anti-Christian sentiments in Madhya Pradesh have been increasing over the past several years. For further information, click here.
Following massacres of Alawites in Syria, the safety of Syrian Christians is uncertain. For further information, click here.
of note
The Holy See’s delegation to the United Nations is organizing an event alongside the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women called “The Scourge of Pornography in the Digital Age.” The event will focus on the repercussions faced by society as a result of pornography, especially the negative effects on women and children. For further information, click here.
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The National Catholic Bioethics Center website is a significant resource for bioethics information. NCBC bioethicists are also on call for consultation twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, at 215-877-2660.
Justin Corman
Justin Corman is a guest editor at the NCBC, and a student at Ave Maria School of Law.