Bioethics Public Policy Report: November 25, 2025
State by State
Florida is suing Planned Parenthood for $350 million for “racketeering” due to its claim that chemical abortion pills are “safer than Tylenol.” The suit comes after a study earlier this year concluded that abortion pills are not, in fact, safer than Tylenol. To read the study, click here. For further information, click here.
In Nebraska, Gov. Jim Pillen signed an executive order restricting taxpayer funds to abortion providers. The order directs the state’s Department of Health and Human Services to review providers to determine whether they “have been excluded, disenrolled, or sanctioned by a Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program of any state” and sanction or disenroll such providers. For further information, click here.
Federal Courts
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6–3 in favor of the Trump administration’s move to require U.S. passports to reflect holders’ biological sex. The unsigned opinion temporarily blocked a Massachusetts district court judge’s preliminary injunction that would have blocked the administration’s move. For further information, click here.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case that asked it to revisit its 2015 decision, Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex civil marriage across the nation. The case involved a Kentucky court clerk, Kim Davis, who was convicted for refusing to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple in 2015 after the decision was rendered. The Court gave no comment on the rejection of the case. For further information, click here.
National
The Ethics & Public Policy Center (EPPC) released a report documenting instances of anti-Christian bias during the Biden administration, in response to President Trump’s Executive Order 14202, “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias.” The EPPC highlighted the Biden administration’s misuse of the Department of Health and Human Services, the regulatory rulemaking process, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. To read the report, click here.
At a meeting in Baltimore of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the Conference elected a new president, vice president, secretary, and six chairmen for various committees. The USCCB also passed amendments to the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERD), which will now ban “gender affirming care” in Catholic hospitals. The bishops were also briefed on artificial intelligence. To read the ERD, click here. For further information, click here, here, here, and here.
President Trump issued an executive order directing Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to address discriminatory practices in foster care based on religious affiliation. To read the executive order, click here. For further information, click here.
The federal HHS also issued a press release announcing that it has published a peer-reviewed study entitled Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices, which highlights the medical dangers posed to children from attempts to change their biological sex. In its press release, HHS notably rejects the terminology “gender-affirming care” in place of “sex-rejecting procedures.” To read the study, click here. To read the peer review supplement, click here. For further information, click here.
International
In Mexico, a bill has been introduced in the legislature entitled “The Law That Transcends,” which would legalize euthanasia. The Archdiocese of Mexico City has warned that, if passed, would create the “risk of validating totalitarian and eugenic ideologies.” For further information, click here.
In the city of Regensburg, Bavaria, in Germany, a court has ruled in favor of a pro-life group that had vigils and prayer services outside of an abortion clinic. The court ruled that Regensburg’s buffer zones violated constitutional freedoms. For further information, click here.
In the United Kingdom, there was further debate on the controversial assisted suicide bill, with 72% of Members of Parliament speaking in opposition to the bill. To read the NCBC’s public comment on the bill, click here. For further information, click here.
Also in the United Kingdom, the Women and Equalities Committee of Parliament launched an official inquiry into egg donation and freezing in order to “examine whether women donating and freezing their eggs do so with sufficient information about the process, health impacts and consequences and whether the current regulatory framework provides sufficient safeguards to people who go through these procedures.” The inquiry is a call for public comment, with a response deadline of January 6, 2026. To read more about the inquiry, click here. For further information about the Women and Equalities Committee, click here.
Of Note
Pope Leo gave an address to the 7th National Conference on Additions, referring to online gambling, pornography, and social media overuse as among emerging forms of addiction. He called upon “[s]tate institutions, voluntary associations, the Church and society” to be attentive to the youth, who are particularly vulnerable because of “a lack of vigorous human and spiritual proposals.” To read the address, click here.
Pope Leo also warned of the dangers of artificial intelligence in the medical field, noting that it has the potential to exacerbate “antihuman ideologies,” as the healthcare industry has begun to focus on utilizing artificial intelligence for economic benefits. For further information, click here.
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