On behalf of Southern Baptists, the ERLC, led by Brent Leatherwood, is in contact with national lawmakers on new laws and policy changes affecting religious freedoms, pro-life issues, and family life. Here are a few of the pending actions they are watching in 2024.
Women’s Health Protection Act—This legislation would remove all restrictions on abortion and allow full-term abortions. States would not be allowed to limit abortion. The bill has not come up for a vote.
The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act—This bill has not been brought up for a vote because of concerns by some legislators that they would be labeled “extreme.” The bill would codify the Hyde Amendment which is voted on when lawmakers think they have the backing to pass it.
The AHM v. FDA Abortion Pill Case—The next round of this case is pending in the U.S. Supreme Court. The Fifth Circuit ruled that while approval of the chemical abortion drug should stand, safety precautions which would reduce its availability need to be reinstated. Half of all abortions are chemical; 1-in-5 women who use the abortion pill experience complications.
Assisted suicide in California—A pending case would provide disabled people resources on ending their lives, while a healthy person sharing suicidal thoughts with a doctor would be offered suicide prevention care. The assisted suicide law says to deny the disabled person access to suicide resources would be discrimination.
Gender transition legislation—ERLC is watching multiple bills affecting funding for gender altering surgeries, pronoun usage requirements in schools and workplaces, sex segregation in prisons to protect women, and parents’ rights to their children’s gender issues in school.
RFRA “carve outs”—A growing trend is passage of legislation that says the Religious Freedom Restoration Act simply doesn’t apply in certain new laws. Care for migrants is just one example. Both parties are using the tactic, ERLC reports.