Bioethics Public Policy Report: May 13, 2025
STATE By State
In Washington, Gov. Bob Ferguson signed into law a bill entitled “Concerning the duty of clergy to report child abuse and neglect,” which will require priests to break the seal of confession by mandating them to report cases of child abuse and neglect to the state. Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane issued a statement against the law, and the Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) is probing the law as a potential violation of the First Amendment. To read Bishop Daly’s statement, click here. For further information, click here and here.
New York passed the “Medical Aid in Dying” Act in the state assembly, which, if it passes the other house and is signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, would allow terminally ill, mentally competent patients to opt to take a lethal dosage of medication by a vote of 81–67. About 20 Democrats opposed the bill. Timothy Cardinal Dolan wrote an article condemning the passage of the bill. To read Cardinal Dolan’s article, click here. For further information, click here.
The Wyoming supreme court heard oral arguments on the state’s pro-life laws, which were struck down by a lower state court judge. The court there will decide both on Wyoming’s general law prohibiting abortion and its law specifically banning the chemical abortion drugs. The court will decide on the case in the coming months. For further information, click here.
The Connecticut house of representatives passed a bill by a vote of 117–27 which, if passed, would allow minors access to birth control without parental consent. The bill will now go to the state senate for approval. To track the bill, click here. For further information, click here.
In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed into law a bill that will expand access to in vitro fertilization (IVF). The bill will expand health insurance coverage for IVF treatments. Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington wrote a pastoral letter on IVF earlier this year in its moral and legal dimensions. To read Bishop Burbidge’s letter, click here. For further information, click here.
The Pennsylvania senate passed a bill by a 32–18 vote that would prohibit biological males from participating in women’s and girls’ sports. It is unclear whether the bill will pass in the house of representatives, and Gov. Josh Shapiro has himself expressed opposition for such bans, so it is unclear what will happen to the bill. To track the bill, click here. For further information, click here.
Federal Courts
President Trump signed an executive order creating a religious liberty commission whose task it will be to produce “a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty in America, strategies to increase awareness of and celebrate America’s peaceful religious pluralism, current threats to religious liberty, and strategies to preserve and enhance protections for future generations.” Among those serving on the commission will include Cardinal Dolan and Bishop Robert Barron. To read the executive order, click here. For further information, click here.
The Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a report questioning the evidence of the efficacy of “gender-affirming care” for minors. This report comes after President Trump’s executive order in the first days of his second term. To read the 400-page report, click here. For further information, click here.
Sen. Josh Hawley introduced legislation to put safeguards on the chemical abortion drug mifepristone following a recent study by the Ethics and Public Policy Center which showed that 1 in 10 women who use the drug experience serious adverse effects. To read the study, click here. For further information, click here and here.
international
In Canada, the pro-abortion Liberal Party won the recent general election, with party leader Mark Carney as the new prime minister. While Prime Minister Carney was largely silent on the Medical Assistance in Dying programs across the country, he nevertheless voiced his enthusiastic intent to expand abortion access in the country. For further information, click here.
of note
Robert Cardinal Prevost was elected Pope by the College of Cardinals, taking the name Leo XIV. Pope Leo, the first American Pope, explained that his choice of papal name was influenced by Pope Leo XIII, who wrote Rerum Novarum, an encyclical which explained the Church’s teachings on capital and labor in light of the industrial revolution, noting that in our own times we are experiencing a similarly drastic social change with the rise of artificial intelligence. For further information, click here and 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.
Justin Corman
Justin Corman is a guest editor at the NCBC, and a student at Ave Maria School of Law.