HHS Takes Comprehensive Action to Enforce Conscience Rights and Protect Human Life

HHS Actions Affirm the Dignity of Life Consistent with the Hyde Amendment

WASHINGTON— January 21, 2026 —The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced major enforcement and policy actions that safeguard federal health care provider conscience rights and protect the dignity of human life.

These actions include a Notice of Violation from the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to Illinois, finding that an Illinois state law violates two federal health care conscience laws: the Weldon and Coats-Snowe Amendments. The Weldon and Coats-Snowe Amendments are part of the two dozen federal health care conscience protection statutes that HHS enforces. The Notice of Violation explains that Illinois law unlawfully ties health care provider conscience protections to referral requirements in the case of abortion. OCR also released three public notices describing OCR deregulatory actions to align with E.O. 14182, Enforcing the Hyde Amendment, rescinding or repudiating certain documents that are outdated or inconsistent with the law. To educate the public, OCR released a nationwide Dear Colleague Letter summarizing federal health care conscience protection statutes, including those laws specific to abortion, sterilization, and assisted suicide.

“Under President Trump’s and Secretary Kennedy’s leadership, OCR will continue to protect federal conscience rights and the dignity of human life,” said Paula M. Stannard, Director of the HHS Office for Civil Rights. “Today’s enforcement action holds a state accountable for limiting the rights of conscientious objectors in a manner that violates federal law. To receive the benefits of Illinois’ liability shield, Illinois forces providers with conscience objections to refer patients for abortion—compelling them to participate in the very procedure they oppose.”

Today’s announcement fulfills an Administration promise that the Office for Civil Rights “reevaluate its . . . guidance pertaining to Federal laws on conscience and religious exercise” to strengthen enforcement of these laws. OCR’s actions advance the federal health care conscience rights of physicians, health care facilities, and health care personnel to live out their professions without compromising their conscience regarding abortion and the dignity of human life. The announcement builds on HHS’ recent efforts to safeguard conscience rights more broadly, including investigations to protect health care workers, support whistleblowers, and reinforce adherence to religious and conscience exemptions in the Vaccines for Children Program.

Federal health care conscience protection statutes protect covered individuals, health care entities, and providers from discrimination in health care by certain government or government-funded entities based on the exercise of religious beliefs or moral convictions. OCR facilitates and coordinates the Department’s enforcement of the federal health care conscience protection statutes. Both the Weldon and Coats-Snowe Amendments prohibit government discrimination against health care entities that do not refer for abortion or provide referrals for abortion. The Coats-Snowe Amendment additionally prohibits discrimination against covered entities that do not make arrangements for abortion or do not make arrangements to provide referrals for abortion, among other prohibitions. The Weldon Amendment also prohibits discrimination against covered entities that refuse to pay for or provide coverage of abortion.

OCR also enforces federal religious nondiscrimination provisions in grant and block grant programs that prohibit discrimination against individuals on the basis of religion. For more information, visit OCR’s conscience and religious freedom webpage. 

View a fact sheet summarizing the comprehensive actions HHS announced today.

If you believe that you or someone else has been discriminated against because of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, religion, or the exercise of conscience in programs or activities that HHS directly operates or for which HHS provides federal financial assistance, you may file a complaint with the HHS Office for Civil Rights.

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