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Defense of Conscience in Health Care Act

To provide for regulations on protecting statutory conscience rights in health care.

Introduced Jan 9, 2025

Latest action (Jan 9, 2025) Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Referred to
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
Policy area
Health
Issues
Healthcare
Legislative subjects (15)
AbortionAdministrative law and regulatory proceduresDepartment of Health and Human ServicesEmployment discrimination and employee rightsHealth personnelHealth programs administration and fundingHigher educationMedicaidMedical educationMedical ethicsMedical researchMedicareReligionSex and reproductive healthState and local government operations

Summary

This bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue, within six months of enactment, a final rule protecting conscience rights in health care. The rule must be identical or materially equivalent to the federal conscience protection rule that was in effect on July 22, 2019, under title 45, Code of Federal Regulations, part 88. The new rule must specify that it supersedes any contrary regulations that exist at the time it is issued. The bill defines "Federal conscience and anti-discrimination laws" using the same meaning as provided in the 2019 rule.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)

Actions (2)
  1. Jan 9, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. · senate
  2. Jan 9, 2025 Introduced in Senate

More bills on these subjects (8)

Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).

  • HR 5304 — Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (shares 13 subjects)
  • HR 191 — Inflation Reduction Act of 2025 (shares 11 subjects)
  • HR 3358 — Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018 (shares 11 subjects)
  • HR 1654 — CUTS Act (shares 8 subjects)
  • HR 7148 — Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (shares 7 subjects)
  • HR 7006 — Financial Services and General Government and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026 (shares 7 subjects)
  • S 2296 — National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (shares 7 subjects)
  • HR 3838 — Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (shares 7 subjects)

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

  • HR 2874 — Defense of Conscience in Health Care Act · Introduced Apr 10, 2025 · Cong. 119 78%
  • HR 3411 — Conscience Protection Act of 2025 · Introduced May 14, 2025 · Cong. 119 73%
  • S 1756 — Conscience Protection Act of 2025 · Introduced Mar 19, 2026 · Cong. 119 69%
  • S 2377 — EACH Act of 2025 · Introduced Jul 22, 2025 · Cong. 119 63%
  • HR 3864 — Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act of 2025 · Introduced Jun 10, 2025 · Cong. 119 62%
  • S 2347 — Equal Health Care for All Act · Introduced Jul 17, 2025 · Cong. 119 62%

Full text

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

January 9, 2025

Mr. Hawley introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

A BILL

To provide for regulations on protecting statutory conscience rights in health care.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Defense of Conscience in Health Care Act”.

SEC. 2. REGULATIONS ON PROTECTING STATUTORY CONSCIENCE RIGHTS IN HEALTH CARE.

(a) In General.—Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall—

(1) issue, under the Federal conscience and anti- discrimination laws, a final rule that is identical or materially equivalent to the former rule stated in part 88 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on July 22, 2019 (84 Fed. Reg. 23170; relating to protecting statutory conscience rights in health care; delegations of authority); and

(2) specify in the final rule that the rule supersedes any contrary rule in existence on the date of issuance.

(b) Definition.—In this section, the term “Federal conscience and anti-discrimination laws” has the meaning given the term in the former rule specified in subsection (a)(1). <all>

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