Congress·In Committee·S. 3238

Senate Bill Would Ban Mandatory Abortion Training in Medicare-Funded Residency Programs

Conscience Protections for Medical Residents Act

4 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Part of: Congress Moves to Make Abortion Training Opt-In for Medical Residencies

⏸

Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

↔Companion bill: Bill targets Medicare-funded residencies that require abortion training without opt-in

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Key Points

This bill says Medicare-approved residency programs can’t include abortion training unless a resident chooses to opt in first.
Programs also couldn’t punish or treat a resident unfairly for saying no to abortion training, or for not helping with abortions or related counseling.
If a residency program still makes abortion training the default, it could lose its Medicare-approved status, which can be a big financial hit.
For residents, this would make it clearer they can refuse abortion-related training without risking their career path in that program.

HealthcareMedicare MedicaidAbortionLabor Employment

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

How this policy affects specific groups of people

Mixed Impacts(1)

Medicare

Neutral

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Nov 20, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Nov 20, 2025

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Soon after the bill becomes law, as programs update policies and rotation plans

Residency programs shift any abortion-related training from opt-out to opt-in

Residents would only be included in abortion procedure, counseling, or referral training if they actively choose it, which can change what they learn during rotations.

Within months after the bill becomes law, as HR and training offices update evaluation and scheduling practices

Programs add or tighten rules to prevent punishment of residents who do not opt in

Residents may have a clearer path to decline without fearing worse schedules, grades, or recommendations, but programs will need clearer documentation to show fairness.

Related News

2 articles

WIBC 93.1 FM·4 months ago

Young Introduces Bill to End Mandatory Abortion Training

U.S. Senators Todd Young and James Lankford introduced legislation to protect medical students from being coerced into abortion training. The bill replaces the current 'opt-out' mechanism with an 'opt-in' system to ensure participation is voluntary and doesn't jeopardize careers.

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Politico·4 months ago

Abortion-related standoff becomes a “sticking point” in Congress

A legislative standoff over abortion-related provisions, including the Conscience Protections for Medical Residents Act, has become a major sticking point in budget negotiations. The bill seeks to reverse the onus on medical students to opt out of abortion training.

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Related Bills

1 bill

H.R. 6219Identical bill

Conscience Protections for Medical Residents Act

Nov 20 — Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.