Bioethics Public Policy Report: April 1, 2025
STATE By State
The legislature in Maryland has passed a bill that would use $25 million in unspent funding to pay for abortions in the state, to be funded by the Maryland Department of Health. The funds were granted under the Affordable Care Act, but the state is now planning to utilize the money solely for abortion. If signed, the bill will go into effect on July 1. For further information, click here.
In Virginia, a Fairfax County judge has ruled that frozen embryos cannot be classified as property under Virginia law. The judge cited to other states’ approaches to the novel legal question presented by the case and pointed to the history of the state before and after the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, which outlawed slavery. For further information, click here.
Texas authorities have arrested a Houston-based midwife providing illegal abortions in the state. The abortion provider was charged with providing an abortion and practicing medicine without a license. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton emphasized in a press release, “Texas law holds abortion providers—not patients—criminally responsible for unlawful procedures.” For further information, click here.
In New York, the only Planned Parenthood in Manhattan is closing its facilities and selling the property, citing as its reason “the gap between inflation and stagnant reimbursement rates.” This facility had been a frequent spot for peaceful and prayerful demonstrations by pro-life activists prior to its closing. For further information, click here.
In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves signed into law a bill titled the “Securing Areas for Females Effectively and Responsibly (SAFER) Act,” which restricts access to restrooms and locker rooms to those whose biological sex matches the designated biological sex of the restroom. It will restrict the use of transgender persons whose “gender identity” does not match their biological sex from the use of opposite facilities. For further information, click here.
In Idaho, a bill passed in both houses of the legislature that would protect the conscience rights of healthcare providers. The bill protects the consciences of professionals and institutions whose refusal to participate in certain procedures “is informed by religious, moral, or ethical beliefs or principles.” For further information, click here.
In South Dakota, Gov. Larry Rhoden signed a bill into law that will prohibit transgender persons whose biological sex does not match their “gender identity” from using bathrooms and locker rooms designated for the opposite biological sex in state-owned buildings. For further information, click here.
In Kansas, the Archdiocese of Kansas City reached a settlement over a Satanic “black mass” after being made reasonably certain that the Satanic group was not in possession of a consecrated host. The one presiding over this “black mass” was arrested for punching a protestor following a scuffle with the protestor, who threw himself onto the hosts as the presider was stomping on them. To read the Kansas Catholic Conference’s statement, click here. For further information, click here and here.
In an ongoing legal battle across state lines, a New York county clerk has refused to file a more than $100,000 judgment in Texas against a New York doctor who prescribed chemical abortion pills to a patient in Louisiana. The clerk’s decision was informed by the recently passed “New York State Shield Law,” which was designed to protect doctors prescribing such medications across state lines. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton indicated that Texas would be taking action against New York. For further information, click here.
In Illinois, an Indiana woman is suing an abortionist for leaving the remains of her unborn child in her body following a late-term abortion. Following the abortion, the woman, identified in the lawsuit as “Jane Doe,” had to go to the emergency room, and there she discovered that about half of the fetus was still inside of her. The woman had trouble finding an attorney to represent her due to the politically charged landscape following the overturn of Roe v. Wade. For further information, click here.
Both houses of the Illinois legislature are considering a bill that would legalize assisted suicide in the state. Bishop David Malloys of the Diocese of Rockford has voiced opposition to the bill, warning that “assisted suicide is clearly not the compassionate solution for those suffering.” To track the bills, click here and here. To read Bishop Malloys’ pastoral letter, click here. For further information, click here.
Federal Courts
Delaware has agreed to a court order prohibiting them from enforcing a law targeting pro-life pregnancy centers as litigation pends in federal court. The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed the suit last month on behalf of the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates and A Door of Hope. For further information, click here.
The ADF has also filed suit on behalf of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois and an Illinois pro-life pregnancy center over the state’s new “Human Rights Act.” The Act would prohibit discrimination based on pro-abortion views, which the Diocese asserts would violate their religious beliefs. For further information, click here.
A New Jersey woman represented by the Thomas More Society is suing the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, and the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness after being tagged as a potential threat over a Facebook post made in 2022. In the post, the woman had criticized pro-LGBTQ posters at a local elementary school. For further information, click here.
A Catholic nurse practitioner in Texas has reached a settlement with CVS Pharmacy following a suit over CVS’s failure to accommodate her sincerely held religious beliefs. The nurse had requested not to be complicit in the prescription of certain forms of contraception that act as abortifacients and had operated for six years with such an accommodation. For further information, click here and here.
national
Congressional representatives have introduced a bill titled the “Health Care Sharing Ministry Tax Parity Act.” This bill, if passed, would make Health Care Sharing Ministries (HCSMs), an alternative to traditional insurance, tax-deductible. The bill would give the same tax benefits to those opting for HCSMs as for traditional insurance. To track the bill, click here. For further information, click here.
Another bill, titled the “Let Pregnancy Centers Serve Act of 2025,” has been introduced that would increase protections for pro-life pregnancy centers across the United States. If passed, the bill would prohibit federal, state and local governments from discriminating against such pregnancy centers. For further information, click here.
The Trump administration is expected to freeze approximately $20 million in funding for Planned Parenthood as it reviews Planned Parenthood’s compliance with President Trump’s anti-DEI initiative as well as whether it is using federal taxpayer dollars for the funding of abortion. For further information, click here.
A federal court judge appointed by former President Joe Biden has blocked the Trump administration’s gender dysphoria military ban. The judge’s decision turned on the fact that gender dysphoria is experienced by transgender persons as a class. For further information, click here.
international
In the United Kingdom, a controversial assisted dying bill may be delayed until 2029. If the bill were to be passed into law, it would allow terminally ill patients with six months to live or less to opt for medically assisted suicide. The delay of the bill casts doubts as to whether it will be passed into law at all. For further information, click here.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has prepared a report and is urging President Trump to take action against countries that violate religious liberty through sanctions and other like measures. USCIRF found that sixteen countries to be classified as “countries of particular concern” requiring such sanctions. To read the report, click here. For further information, click here and here.
The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) held their spring assembly, where they warned of the dangers of growing secularization in Europe. The warning comes as Europe begins rearming in light of the war in Ukraine. For further information, click here.
of note
Pope Francis has been discharged from his 38-day stay in Gemelli Hospital after battling double pneumonia. He made his first public appearance last week. For further information, click here.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has called on parishes to implement Walking with Moms in Need as a way of assisting struggling mothers in the parish community. To read the USCCB’s statement, click here.
The Napa Institute, in an ecumenical effort, is moving to unite Catholics and Protestants in upholding core Christian teachings and truths in American law and culture. For further information, click here.
Catholic News Agency explained the phenomenon of “debanking” in a recent article, pointing out how banks appear to be targeting certain religiously affiliated groups by closing their accounts. The article also goes over legislative efforts across the states that are attempting to combat this issue. 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.