Bioethics Public Policy Report: September 16, 2025
STATE By State
In California, a bill has passed in both houses of the legislature that would shield doctors from prosecution for prescribing abortion pills to persons in other states. The shield law would prevent the state from extraditing abortion doctors, protect abortion doctors from fines, and grant abortion doctors a cause of action against anyone attempting to prevent them from performing abortions. To read the bill and check its status, click here. For further information, click here.
Also in California, another bill passed that would prevent healthcare providers from releasing medical records of transgender patients in investigations in other states that ban “gender-affirming care” for minors. To read the bill and check its status, click here. For further information, click here.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has formally intervened in a lawsuit disputing the constitutionality of New York’s abortion shield law, which is being challenged by Texas. Attorney General James stated, “Texas has no authority in New York, and no power to impose its cruel abortion ban here.” For further information, click here.
Federal Courts
A federal court in Louisiana ruled in favor of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on a Biden-era Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Under the regulation, the USCCB would have been required to grant administrative leave to employees seeking abortion, contraception, or in vitro fertilization, but the court’s ruling blocks enforcement of the law against the USCCB on religious liberty grounds. For further information, click here.
The USCCB has filed an amicus brief in a case coming before the Supreme Court regarding a crisis pregnancy center in New Jersey. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin had launched an investigation into First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, demanding their donor lists, in order to ensure compliance with consumer protection laws. The USCCB’s brief argued that the investigation was coercive and chilled freedom of religion. To read the brief, click here. For further information, click here.
national
A recent report from the Williams Institute at UCLA’s School of Law found that 2.8 million Americans identify as transgender, which is approximately 1% of the population. The proportion of those identifying as transgender is weighted significantly higher for younger age brackets. To read the report, click here. For further information, click here.
Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., testified in a Senate hearing that Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently conducting a review of safety concerns surrounding the abortion pill. More than half of all abortions nationwide are conducted via chemical abortion pills. For further information, click here.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias published a report that found a “consistent and systematic pattern of discrimination” against Christians nationwide. The DOJ emphasized its commitment to ending any discriminatory policies in the federal government. To read the report, click here. For further information, click here.
President Trump announced last week that the Department of Education would be issuing guidance on prayer in public schools to ensure it would be totally protected. That same day, there was a student panel before the Religious Liberty Commission where several students gave stories of challenges to their religious liberty in public school. The White House also launched an initiative entitled “America Prays,” encouraging Americans to pray for the nation ahead of the 250th anniversary of the United States. For further information, click here, here, and here.
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated at a Utah college event last week. A suspect is in custody after his family turned him into the police. Kirk, a Christian, had said in an interview a few months ago that he would most want to be remembered for his faith. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin condemned the act of violence, emphasizing respect and tolerance for differences of opinion. For further information, click here, here, here, and here.
international
Israel conducted an attack on Hamas leadership in Qatar while they were considering a ceasefire proposal by President Trump in the Qatari capital. Pope Leo called the attack “very serious” and called for prayer for the situation. For further information, click here and here.
The Holy See’s permanent observer to the United Nations in New York, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, warned against the increasingly “aggressive nuclear rhetoric” and called for peace on the International Day Against Nuclear Tests. For further information, click here and here.
The European Commission in Brussels is examining an initiative led by Slovenian NGO Institute 8 advocating for “safe and accessible abortion” in the European Union. The aim is “to establish a financial mechanism that would allow countries to provide abortion services to those individuals who do not have access to abortion in their own countries.” For further information, click here.
The World Health Organization included abortion-inducing drugs in its Model List of Essential Medicines 2025, without a longstanding caveat that they should only be used where abortion is “legally permitted or culturally acceptable.” To read the list, click here. For further information, click here.
of note
St. Mary’s University’s Gillis Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland, held a conference on artificial intelligence (AI) discussing ethical challenges with the advancement of technology in this area. Father Michael Baggot, a professor and bioethicist, gave a talk on the increasing dangers of AI companionship, highlighting the need for fostering authentic human connections. For further information, click here and here.
Pope Leo declared Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis saints on September 7, two saints who died young after sudden illnesses. In his homily, Pope Leo emphasized that the saints themselves “are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces.” To read Pope Leo’s homily, click here. For further information, click here.
The Sisters of Life launched a website offering pro-life resources to women considering having abortions, called the VIS Center (from the Latin word vis, meaning “power” or “force”). To see their website, click here.
A study found that cannabis usage negatively affects fertility for women. To read the study, click here. For further information, click 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.