Bioethics Public Policy Report: November 10, 2026
State by State
An Arizona court awarded the father of an aborted child damages for psychological, emotional, and physical injuries after his ex-wife procured an abortion without her being properly informed about the procedure under state law. For further information, click here.
Federal Courts
The U.S. Supreme Court left a lower court order in place, which blocks the Trump administration from removing sex-rejecting policies being used in federal prisons. Justices Alito and Thomas indicated that they would have approved the administration's request to revoke the policies while litigation continues, as a temporary injunction is still in place against the administration’s proposed course of action. For further information, click here.
Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York City has joined the lawsuit against New York's assisted suicide law, which would require physicians to assist patients in committing suicide. Archbishop Hicks is seeking a temporary order protecting Catholic healthcare providers and physicians within the Archdiocese of New York. The NCBC and colleague agencies filed an amicus curiae brief in support of Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled, which argued that the law discriminates against the life and civil rights of persons with disabilities. To read the amicus brief, click here. For further information, click here.
National
Abortion referenda passed in Virginia, guaranteeing a “right” to abortion for “every individual,” and Nevada, allowing abortion up to “viability” with no restrictions.
Missouri voters rejected a measure to repeal the amendment to the state constitution that allows abortion until “viability” with no restrictions. In Idaho, voters narrowly rejected a referendum establishing “a right to reproductive freedom and privacy.” For further information, click here.
Back in September, the Cost-of-Living Healthcare Working Group sent a memo to Congressman Hakeem Jeffries outlining a possible slate of legislation following the midterm elections. With the sweeping defeat of the Republicans in the midterms this week, it is likely that two pro-abortion bills, the Women’s Health Protection Act and the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act, will be voted on in the coming months. To track the bills, click here and here. To read the memorandum, click here.
International
The Sejm, Poland’s equivalent to the U.S. House, has passed a bill to allow for abortion in cases of fetal abnormality and in situations that threaten the life of the unborn child, with provisions decriminalizing those who assist women in obtaining illegal abortions. The president is expected to veto the bill. For further information, click here.
Prince Alois of Lichtenstein has vetoed a bill passed by the country's parliament legalizing abortion up to three months under certain circumstances, citing that "the proposed reform is not compatible with ensuring adequate protection of unborn life." The bill had narrowly passed by a vote of 13–12. For further information, click here.
Aid to the Church in Need has published a report entitled “Persecuted and Forgotten?” The report details the situation of Christians in 18 countries of particular concern regarding religious liberty. To read the report, click here.
The Canadian government tabled Bill C-41, which would have halted the expansion of the government's Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) program to those only suffering from mental illness and simultaneously decriminalized advance requests for euthanasia under MAID. For further information, click here.
Of Note
Pope Leo XIV's doctors have stated that he needs no further treatment following his surgery on October 13. For further information, click here.
A conference was held in Rome, with backing from the Vatican, entitled, "The Splendor of the Human Person: Preserving Fertility, Healing Infertility," addressing issues of infertility in keeping with Catholic teaching on human sexuality. For further information, click here.
Pope Leo, in an address to the participants of a conference entitled, "The Future of AI: A Dialogue Between the Vatican and the Scientific World on the Development and Applications of Intelligent Technologies," emphasized that artificial intelligence is a machine, not a person, and that human beings have certain responsibilities that cannot be delegated to it. To read the address, click here.
A debate was hosted at the John Paul II Shrine in Washington, D.C. on the morality of embryo adoption, at which John Haas, President Emeritus of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, argued that such adoptions are illicit under the Church's teachings on human sexuality and the dangers posed to the unborn children in the thawing process. Elizabeth Rex, an associate scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, argued in favor of embryo adoption saying that neither the Vatican nor the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have “ever formally ruled against embryo transfer or embryo adoption.” For further information, click here.
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The National Catholic Bioethics Center webpage, available at http://www.ncbcenter.org/, is a significant resource for bioethics information. NCBC bioethicists are also on-call for consultation twenty-four hours a day, seven days per week, at 215-877-2660.