Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., was set to introduce legislation on Wednesday to safeguard religious freedom and conscience protections.
The Conscience Protection Act of 2025 would bar any federal, state, or local government from discriminating against or penalizing a health care provider if they won’t perform, refer for, pay for, or participate in abortion services. As such, it would protect health care providers from having to provide or sponsor abortion coverage, and it crucially creates a private right of action in court for individuals or entities if their conscience rights are violated.
The bill would essentially codify and expand the Weldon Amendment, a provision put in appropriations bills annually since 2004. Lankford also introduced the Conscience Protection Act in 2024 and 2021, but his effort to get unanimous consent to pass the bill was blocked by Senate…
