Bioethics Public Policy Report: March 3, 2026
State by State
In Puerto Rico, Gov. Jenniffer González signed into law Senate Bill 923, which amends the territory’s Penal Code to consider an unborn child a human being. Gov. González stated that the new law “aims to maintain consistency between civil and criminal provisions.” For further information, click here.
In the Virginia legislature, an assisted suicide bill failed to pass the senate committee by a vote of 8–7, leaving the house bill tabled until 2027. The Catholic bishops of Virginia issued a statement grateful that the bill did not advance further than the committee. To read the bishops’ statement, click here. To see information on the history of the bills, click here and here. For further information, click here.
In Arizona, a state court judge struck down pro-life laws that prohibited seeking an abortion for a non-fatal genetic abnormality and required two visits to the doctor before obtaining an abortion. The judge cited the recent amendment passed by referendum in 2024 that enshrined abortion in the state’s constitution. For further information, click here.
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that grants $90 million in one-time emergency funds to Planned Parenthood, following the congressional defunding of Planned Parenthood under the “Big Beautiful Bill.” For further information, click here.
In Iowa, a bill was introduced to the state legislature that would treat abortion as homicide, criminalizing it for all parties involved. To track and read the bill, click here. For further information, click here and here.
Federal Courts
Following a resounding parental rights victory in Mahmoud v. Taylor, Montgomery County, Maryland, has agreed to pay a $1.5 million settlement to religious parents who were prevented from opting their children out of school lessons involving gender ideology. In addition to the monetary settlement, Montgomery County agreed to send parents advance notice of when lessons would address topics of gender and sexuality. For further information, click here.
A federal court in South Dakota ruled that it had no jurisdiction over a case filed by South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley against Mayday Health over its pro-abortion advertisement campaign. This decision clears the way for the case to be tried in South Dakota state courts. For further information, click here.
A settlement was reached in a federal lawsuit with Vermont’s Department for Children and Families that will prohibit the state from discriminating against prospective foster families with sincerely held religious beliefs in opposition to gender ideology. For further information, click here.
National
National Right to Life released its annual “Status of Abortion in the United States” report, noting, among other things, that about two-thirds of all abortions are performed via chemical abortion pills. To read the report, click here. For further information, click here.
The NCBC, with colleague agencies, filed public comment with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in support of HHS’s proposal to prevent federal funding of sex rejecting procedures by Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). To read our public comment, click here. For further information, click here.
The NCBC signed an open letter from the Catholic Psychotherapy Association addressed to the American Psychological Association (APA) urging that they change their guidance on care for children with gender dysphoria. The letter was written in light of HHS’s November 2025 report, Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria: Review of Evidence and Best Practices, which found a lack of long-term benefits and significant risks of harm to children who undergo “gender-affirming care,” such as social transition, puberty suppression, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries. To read HHS’s report, click here. To read the Catholic Psychotherapy Association’s open letter, click here.
International
In India, the Catholic bishops have demanded the repeal of 12 states’ religious conversion laws and a more permanent solution to the exhumation of Christian gravesites. India’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has generally been acting to suppress Christianity in recent years. For further information, click here and here.
Of Note
Pope Leo XIV asserted “complete freedom to speak the truth” on various issues affecting the world in “the troubled times in which we live” in an address to Pro Petri Sede, citing the historical precedent set by his predecessors. For further information, click here.
Vatican City’s Istituto per le Opere di Religione (IOR) launched two equity benchmarks, the Morningstar IOR Eurozone Catholic Principles and the Morningstar IOR US Catholic Principles, which will help to guide Catholic investing in accord with Church teaching. 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.