EXCLUSIVE: Lankford to Introduce Bill Protecting Conscience Rights

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 Democrats. 

“When conscience protections aren’t enforced, health care workers are forced to decide if they should lose their job or violate their beliefs by performing an abortion. Many health care professionals went into their careers to protect life, not take life,” Lankford said in a statement to The Daily Signal, adding:

Doctors and nurses should never have to make the choice between their career and their conscience. The Conscience Protection Act defends health care workers and empowers them to stand by convictions as they care for their community.

According to Lankford’s office, Congress has enacted more than 25 laws related to protecting the conscience rights of individuals who object to abortion and certain other procedures and medical services. While courts have generally declined to find a private right of action for individuals to sue violators of these laws, the Conscience Protection Act would rectify that problem. 

The new proposed legislation comes at a time when the Trump administration is revitalizing an emphasis on religious liberty and conscience rights. Under the new administration, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights has announced that it will be initiating a compliance review of a hospital accused of allegedly violating the conscience rights of ultrasound technicians who refused to participate in abortion procedures. 

The recent move by HHS dovetails with the president’s recent executive order to establish a Religious Liberty Commission to “safeguard and promote America’s founding principle of religious freedom.” 

Companion legislation is being sponsored by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, in the House.

“As a father of three beautiful daughters and a firm believer that life begins at conception, protecting the unborn is not just a policy stance—it’s a moral obligation. That’s why one of my top priorities in Congress is defending life and the people who stand up for it,” Pfluger told The Daily Signal. 

“The Conscience Protection Act of 2025 safeguards health care professionals from being penalized or discriminated against for not participating in, paying for, or facilitating abortions due to their deeply held beliefs,” the Texas congressman said.

“It builds on and strengthens the Weldon Amendment, ensuring no doctor, nurse, or provider is punished by government overreach for following their conscience. I’m proud to lead this effort alongside Sen. Lankford as we push back on radical policies that threaten the sanctity of life and the freedom of those who protect it,” Pfluger added.

Conscience and religious freedom protections were also a priority for the first Trump administration. The conscience and religious freedom division of HHS’ Office for Civil Rights was created during the first Trump term to enforce conscience protections. 

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