Bioethics Public Policy Report: December 9, 2025
State by State
The state supreme court in Maine heard oral arguments in a case concerning a custody battle over whether the mother can take their daughter to a Protestant chapel in the state. The lower court had deemed the denomination a harmful cult and went further to enjoin the mother from reading the Bible to her daughter. Liberty Counsel, representing the mother, has argued that this is a First Amendment violation. For further information, click here.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, alleging discriminatory enforcement that excludes religious organizations from receiving government funding for services rendered to the poor. AG Paxton is arguing that the current structure incentivizes religious organizations to abandon tenets of their faith to receive funding more easily. For further information, click here.
A recent study showed that the number of facility-based abortions in Texas fell by 26.1% in total, and specifically among minors by 19.6%, following the implementation of the state’s near-total abortion restrictions (September 2020 – May 2022). To read the study, click here.
In North Dakota, the state supreme court reinstated a law that made it a felony for anyone to perform an abortion. The law had previously been struck down by a lower court’s ruling that the law was unconstitutional. For further information, click here.
Federal Courts
After the Alliance Defending Freedom settled two federal cases with OpenAI and Asana Inc., regarding discriminatory practices in applying group discounts for services, Microsoft has signed a statement agreeing not to discriminate against faith-based organizations for their religious beliefs on life and human sexuality. Previously, discounts were withheld from organizations that declined to hire LGBTQ individuals based on their religious-based missions. For further information, click here and here.
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for a case brought by First Choice Women’s Resource Centers against New Jersey for a subpoena that requested donor lists as part of an investigation instigated by the state’s attorney general. During the oral arguments, the Court signaled a sympathetic attitude towards the pro-life pregnancy center. For further information, click here.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway filed a federal lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approving a generic form of mifepristone in September, citing the documentation of adverse side effects requiring hospitalization. The NCBC submitted a public comment urging the FDA to investigate mifepristone discrepancies in adverse event reporting, reinstate REMS safeguards, and increase transparency. To read our public comment, click here. For further information, click here and here.
A federal district court in Missouri issued a permanent injunction against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from enforcing Biden-era Pregnant Workers Fairness Act rules that would have required employers to give leave to workers for abortions and various fertility treatments that violate several religious groups’ beliefs. The NCBC submitted a public comment addressing similar concerns when the rules were being proposed in October of 2023. To read our public comment, click here. For further information, click here.
National
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas introduced a bill that would protect medical students and residents from being forced to abortion training against their moral or religious beliefs. The current rules from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education allow participants to opt out, but Sen. Cornyn stated in a press release that the opt-out procedure is coercive as practiced. The NCBC submitted a public comment addressing similar needs to protect conscience rights of medical students and residents. To read our public comment, click here. For further information, click here and here.
A poll conducted by the Ethics & Public Policy Center found that four out of five (80%) Americans are concerned about the implications of embryonic screening, such as the commodification of children. To read the poll, click here. For further information, click here.
International
Pope Leo XIV approved a doctrinal note entitled Una caro: In Praise of Monogamy, defending the Church’s traditional doctrine on marriage in light of polygamous cultures in the growing Church in Africa and the rise of “polyamory” in the West. The note significantly reemphasizes Church’s teaching on the nature of marriage as a “union unique and exclusive between one woman and one man” (l’unione unica ed esclusiva tra una sola donna e un solo uomo). To read the note in Italian, click here. For further information, click here.
An independent analysis of data conducted by Catholic public health consultant Kevin Duffy suggested a link between abortion and ultimate infertility in England and Wales. To read the analysis, click here. For further information, click here.
Prince Albert II of Monaco vetoed a bill that would have legalized abortion up to 12 weeks and lowered the age of parental consent from 18 to 15, citing the microstate’s respect for human life and Christian values. The bill had passed in the legislature by a vote of 19–2. For further information, click here.
In Slovenia, voters rejected a proposed euthanasia law in a referendum by a vote of 53.43% opposed to the legislation. Under the Slovenian constitution, the matter will be blocked for at least a year before a new version of the bill can be proposed. For further information, click here.
After the United Nations passed a resolution condemning surrogacy, experts gathered at the European Parliament to discuss the ethical issues surrounding surrogacy, such as the commodification of women and children. For further information, click here.
Of Note
Pope Leo spoke at an ecumenical prayer service, calling for Christian unity, on the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea at the site of the Basilica of St. Neophytos. To read his address, click here. For further information, click here.
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