Bioethics Public Policy Report: August 4, 2026
State by State
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed into law the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,” which will provide explicit protections for children born alive after an attempted abortion and prohibit healthcare providers from “knowingly perform[ing] or attempt[ing] to perform an overt act that kills a child born alive.” For further information, click here.
Referenda regarding abortion are on the ballot in four states this November: in Missouri, Amendment 3 would amend the state constitution to ban abortion with exceptions for rape, incest, and medical emergencies; in Idaho, the “Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act” would legalize abortion up to viability without amending the state constitution; in Nevada, Question 6, which would enshrine abortion in the state constitution, will need to pass once again after having passed in 2024 by 64% of voters; and in Virginia, the Reproductive Freedom Amendment would amend the state’s constitution to enshrine abortion after having passed the state legislature. For further information, click here and here.
Federal Courts
Carmelite sisters have sued New York over its new assisted suicide law. The law is set to go into effect August 5, 2026, and would require healthcare providers to tell patients about the “right” to commit suicide and to help them through the process. For further information, click here.
A federal district court judge issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit challenging a South Dakota law prohibiting advertisements for abortions in the state, finding that the law did not meet strict scrutiny under the First Amendment and ruling that the challenger was likely to win its case. For further information, click here.
The Frederick Douglass Foundation and Students for Life of America filed an appeal with the D.C. Court of Appeals over a free-speech claim against the District of Columbia for its arrest of two protestors who wrote “Black Pre-Born Lives Matter” in chalk outside of a Planned Parenthood. To read the appellate brief, click here. For further information, click here.
National
The U.S. Department of Justice released updated guidance on religious liberty in light of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Specifically, it asserts parental rights and freedom of expression, and it provides guidelines for federal contractors and grants with respect to religious organizations. To read the guidance, click here. For further information, click here.
Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles introduced a bill to the House of Representatives entitled the “Preventing Forced Abortions Act of 2026,” which would prohibit federal courts from enforcing provisions in surrogacy contracts that require surrogate mothers to abort children. For further information, click here.
At a Senate confirmation hearing, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that he would pursue enforcement of federal pro-life legislation, particularly the Comstock Act, which prohibits shipping abortifacients through the mail. For further information, click here.
First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture and Democracy released its 2026 Religious Liberty in the States index, ranking each state based on 20 enumerated religious liberty protections. To access the report, click here. For further information, click here.
The Guttmacher Institute released data indicating an overall increase in abortions nationwide between 2025 and 2026, as well as a marked rise in telehealth mail-order chemical abortion in states with abortion bans. For further information, click here.
International
United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk decried the Nicaraguan government for its repression of civil rights and attacks on the Catholic Church, specifically urging the authorities to release information on Bishop Abelardo Mata Guevara, who has not been seen since being detained on June 29, 2026. For further information, click here.
Switzerland has abolished its clergy exemption for mandatory military service, calling the longstanding exemption “obsolete” and not reflective of “contemporary realities.” For further information, click here.
Of Note
The Thomas More Society has launched an online hub with guidance for abortion pill reversal litigation in light of enforcement actions in various states. For further information, click here and here.
The Global Nobel Laureates Assembly issued a declaration in Rome regarding responsible AI usage and nuclear disarmament, inspired by Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. To read the declaration, click here.
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