Bioethics Public Policy Report: April 28, 2026
State by State
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law Senate Bill 248, which will allow children to leave school campuses to receive religious instruction. Supporters, such as the Alliance Defending Freedom, stated that it strengthens religious freedom and parental rights in the state. For further information, click here.
The Maryland legislature passed a bill that, if signed by the governor, would force hospitals to provide emergency room abortions. The bill comes after the Trump administration rescinded Biden-era guidance on the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) which attempted to force hospitals to perform emergency room abortions. For further information, click here.
Federal Courts
The Dominican Sisters in Hawthorne, New York, have filed a federal suit against the state for a new law passed, entitled the “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender, and People Living with HIV Long-Term Care Facility Residents' Bill of Rights,” which would force the sisters to support erroneous gender identity by a number of means, including placement of biological males with biological females at their Rosary Hill Home for the dying. For further information, click here.
A federal judge paused Louisiana’s lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over its rule allowing telehealth abortion drug prescriptions pending the FDA’s review of mifepristone. The court ordered the FDA to give an update on its review in six months. For further information, click here.
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in Schroeder, et al. v. Treto, Jr., a case concerning the Health Care Right of Conscience Act, which was amended 10 years ago to compel pro-life medical professionals to discuss the purported “benefits” of abortion. For further information, click here.
Pro-life activist Mark Houck won over $1 million in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) following a raid on his family home by federal law enforcement over a purported violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. For further information, click here.
A settlement was reached in Jackson v. Mullin, a case concerning religious liberty in the Coast Guard, which established an agreement revising the Coast Guard’s religious accommodation process. Peter Breen, Executive Vice President of the Thomas More Society, said, “Under this historic settlement, the Coast Guard must evaluate each service member's request on its own merits—not invoke blanket institutional interests to deny them all.” For further information, click here.
In a temporary ruling, a federal court in Oregon found that the state’s law requiring insurance coverage for abortion and contraception violated the constitutional rights of Oregon Right to Life, with a final decision pending. For further information, click here.
National
The DOJ held the last meeting of the Religious Liberty Commission discussing the history of religious liberty in the United States, potential threats in the future, and how to secure religious freedom in the face of those threats going forward. For further information, click here.
The NCBC and colleague agencies submitted public comment to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) ICD-10-CM addressing the growing health care needs of those who regret being subjected to sex-rejecting interventions and need restorative interventions. To read the public comment, click here.
International
The Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic blocked the enforcement of a treaty between the Czech Republic and the Vatican over a provision regarding the seal of the confessional, arguing that extending a legal privilege to the Catholic Church but not to other religious groups would constitute discrimination. For further information, click here.
Of Note
The latest statistics from the CDC showed that the fertility rate dropped by 1% in 2025, reaching record low levels. The general fertility rate has dropped by 23% since 2007. To read the report, click here. For further information, click here.
A recent Gallup poll indicated that the percentage of young men aged 18 to 29 who consider religion “very important” has jumped up to 42% since 2023, overtaking young women in the same age bracket at 29%. For further information, click here.
Sharing the News: If you have public policy news that you would like to share with the NCBC, or if you have colleagues who would like to receive the Bioethics Public Policy Report, please contact the NCBC at info@ncbcenter.org. Previous editions of this report are available through the Public Policy page of the NCBC website.
Sharing the Resources: If you enjoy receiving the NCBC’s Public Policy Report and would like to support the NCBC, please consider making a donation to the NCBC.
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.