STATE By State

• In Washington State, a pro-abortion group has begun a program training pharmacists in dispensing abortion pills. The non-profit group, Uplift International, calls the program the “Pharmacist Abortion Access Project,” with the goal being to facilitate the use of the chemical abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol. For further information, click here. 

 Federal Courts

• A federal court in Kentucky struck down the Biden administration’s redefinition of sexual discrimination under Title IX, which included gender identity and sexual orientation. The decision blocks the enforcement of the policy nationwide. For further information, click here. 

• The Catholic Medical Association sued the Biden administration for rule changes pertaining to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). The Biden administration asserted that EMTALA overrides pro-life state legislation by requiring emergency rooms to perform abortions under federal law. For further information, click here. 

• A federal court judge in Texas has allowed Missouri, Kansas, and Idaho to resume their legal battle in restricting mifepristone. The judge reserved judgment on the issue of proper venue to a later stage in the case. For further information, click here. 

national

• The House of Representatives passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which denies federal funding to entities allowing biological males to participate in women’s sports. To read the bill, click here. For further information, click here. 

• At her Senate confirmation hearing, U.S. Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi promised to end the “weaponization” of the justice system against Catholics and pro-life activists. For further information, click here. 

• The Thomas More Society has petitioned President Donald Trump to pardon 21 pro-life activists imprisoned under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. They argued that the FACE Act is rendered unconstitutional due to Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning Roe v. Wade. To read the petition, click here. 

• President Trump signed executive orders at his inauguration rescinding Biden-era pro-transgender policies and DEI initiatives, of which he said they “socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.” Pro-transgender groups are planning to challenge the order. For further information, click here. 

international

• In India, Christian leaders are calling on the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to curb violence against Christians in the country. The appeal noted “an alarming trend of rising intolerance and hostility” against those of the Christian faith. All of this comes along with the revival of previously dormant “anti-conversion” laws in certain states. For further information, click here and here. 

• A study by a Canadian-based thinktank is emphasizing the link between the declining birthrate and the simultaneously declining marriage rate in Western countries. For further information, click here. 

of note

• Pope Francis has introduced a monthly bonus to Vatican employees with 3 children or more, and he has called for an end to child labor, exploitation, and abuse. For further information, click here and here.  

• Cecile Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood and notable pro-abortion advocate, passed away on Monday. For further information, click here. 

• The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued guidance on immigration reform in advance of the incoming Trump administration. Among other things, the bishops emphasized that enforcement “should be targeted, proportional, and humane.” 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 is a guest editor at the NCBC, and a student at Ave Maria School of Law.