Govwatch

Introduced

In Committee

3

Passed One Chamber

4

Passed Both

5

Signed into Law

Sponsor

James Lankford

Republican · OK · Senator

Votes with party: 77.1% (909 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/L000575

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (23)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Hearings held.

2026-03-19

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

Currently in

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and PensionsHearings By (full committee) · 2026-03-19

Previously

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions CommitteeHearings By (full committee) · 2026-03-19
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions CommitteeReferred To · 2025-05-14
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and PensionsReferred To · 2025-05-14

Plain-English Summary

Conscience Protection Act of 2025 This bill explicitly prohibits penalizing health care entities (e.g., health care providers, insurers) for declining to participate in or facilitate abortion services. It also allows individuals to bring civil actions for violations of certain federal conscience laws, and it specifically authorizes Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rulemaking and enforcement relating to such laws. (In general, the existing federal conscience laws referenced in the bill prohibit entities that receive federal funds from requiring providers or patients to participate in health care services they find religiously or morally objectionable.) Specifically, the bill prohibits the federal government and entities receiving federal health-related funding (e.g., states) from penalizing health care entities that decline to provide, refer for, provide insurance coverage for, or facilitate abortions. The bill does not (1) affect federal requirements for providing emergency stabilizing treatment for pregnant women or unborn children, or (2) prevent health care entities from voluntarily participating in or providing coverage for abortions where not prohibited by law. Also, the bill authorizes individuals or entities adversely affected by a violation of a federal conscience law to bring a civil action for relief, including against state governmental entities. Additionally, the bill provides broad statutory authority for HHS to induce compliance with federal conscience laws by terminating HHS funding or referring violations to the Department of Justice for civil actions. It also explicitly authorizes HHS to issue regulations and resolve complaints under such laws. (HHS' Office for Civil Rights currently handles such complaints.)

Plain-English rewrite of the Congressional Research Service summary published on Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed.

Subjects

Health

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Open text view Read on Congress.gov

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