Bioethics Public Policy Report: March 17, 2026
State by State
In Virginia, Liberty Counsel filed a lawsuit against state election officials challenging the ballot initiative slated for the upcoming elections which would enshrine a right to abortion in the state’s constitution. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that the Virginia House of Delegates failed to follow certain procedural steps required before a proposal can go on the ballot. For further information, click here.
In Indiana, a judge issued a permanent injunction against a state law that went into effect in 2023 that banned abortion in nearly all cases on religious freedom grounds. The injunction was narrowed to those cases where people claimed a violation of their religious exercise. State Attorney General Todd Rokita stated that Indiana was appealing the decision. For further information, click here.
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon signed a “heartbeat law” into effect that bans abortion after an unborn child’s heartbeat has been detected. The only exception is when the mother’s life or bodily integrity is in danger. To read the bill, click here. For further information, click here.
In Ohio, an appellate court upheld a block on a state law that required the humane disposal of the remains of aborted children, citing the state’s constitutional provision which enshrines a “right” to abortion. For further information, click here.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against Aid Access, an organization that is sending in chemical abortion drugs across state lines, in violation of Texas state law. For further information, click here.
Federal Courts
In a 6–3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of California parents suing the state in a class action for policies that hid children’s “gender transitions” from the parents. This overturns the Ninth Circuit’s decision that had blocked the preliminary injunction that the district court had granted at the trial level, with the Court finding here that the policies likely violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments. For further information, click here.
The NCBC submitted an amicus brief in an appeal to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in a case seeking to block Delaware’s assisted suicide law after the lower court dismissed the suit. The district court found that the law was “entirely voluntary,” and hence not discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. To read our amicus brief, click here. For further information, click here.
National
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed the recission of the previous administration’s rule requiring prospective foster homes to pledge their support for the “gender transition” or sexuality of a prospective foster child in order to obtain federal funding. HHS is seeking public comment on this proposal, due April 6, 2026. Please consider supporting this proposal. To read the rule in the Federal Register, click here. For further information, click here.
The NCBC and colleague organizations sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging a review of the use of estrogen in males and issuing a Black Box Warning of such drugs’ use. To read our public comment, click here.
Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri introduced a bill that would rescind federal approval of mifepristone, the chemical abortion drug, entitled the “Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act.” The law would withdraw the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, classify its distribution for the purposes of abortion as illegal, and create a cause of action against manufacturers of the drug. For further information, click here and here.
International
In the United Kingdom, the assisted suicide bill seems unlikely to pass, as the House of Lords has been tabling amendments to the bill. However, more local measures are gaining traction in more local governments, such as in Wales and Jersey. To read our public comment in opposition to this bill, click here. For further information, click here.
The European Commission responded to the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) “My Voice My Choice: For Safe and Accessible Abortion,” which advocated for a fund specifically designated for abortion, by declining to do so. However, at the same time, it stated that the European Social Fund Plus program could be used to fund abortions in European Union member states, which the Catholic Church in the European Union (COMECE) criticized. Closely followed by this was Luxembourg’s enshrinement of “freedom to abort” in its constitution. To read COMECE’s statement, click here. For further information, click here and here.
An ex-gay Christian was found not guilty violating Malta’s anti-conversion therapy laws after having spoken in an interview about how his conversion coincided with his change in sexuality. Malta has a strict prohibition on conversion therapy that allows neither its practice nor its promotion, but the judge in the case found that it was merely a public discussion of the practice. To read our amicus brief in a similar U.S. case in support of a counselor charged in engaging in conversion therapy, click here. For further information, click here.
Life Institute, a pro-life advocacy group in Ireland, is calling for an investigation into the 108 babies born alive after abortion and then left to die between 2019 and 2023. The call for investigation comes after abortion data was released in response to a question from Parliament which indicated the number of babies born alive. For further information, click here.
Of Note
Pope Leo XIV promulgated new statutes for the Pontifical Academy for Life that add a category of “supporters,” who contribute to the advancement of the goals of the Academy without having an academic profile. To read the statutes, click here. For further information, click here.
After much backlash over her outspoken support for abortion, Susan Ostermann, a professor of global affairs who had been appointed by the University of Notre Dame to lead the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, has resigned from the position. For further information, click here and here.
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