Catholic governor signs historic personhood law for the unborn in Puerto Rico December 31, 2025By Marietha Góngora V. OSV News Filed Under: News, Respect Life, World News On Dec. 21, Puerto Rico’s Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón approved Law 183-2025, which amends the Civil Code of Puerto Rico and recognizes the unborn child or “nasciturus” — a Latin legal term referring to “conceived but not born” — as a natural person from conception.
2025 spans life spectrum, from abortion and family programs to immigration and death penalty December 27, 2025By Kimberly Heatherington OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Immigration and Migration, News, Respect Life, World News Life issues are perennially critical to the robust public witness of the Catholic Church, but 2025 nonetheless proved a particularly eventful year across a wide spectrum of related concerns.
HHS proposes new regulatory actions to prohibit gender transition procedures for minors December 19, 2025By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Health Care, News, Respect Life, World News The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Dec. 18 announced new regulatory actions that would effectively ban certain types of medical or surgical gender reassignment procedures for minors who identify as transgender.
Approximately 50 Planned Parenthood clinics closed in 2025, report says December 18, 2025By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: News, Respect Life, World News Approximately 50 Planned Parenthood clinics closed in 2025 as the group lost its ability to bill Medicaid, according to a report by the nation’s largest abortion provider.
Tennessee faith leaders urge governor to stop all executions December 17, 2025By Katie Peterson OSV News Filed Under: News, Respect Life, World News Tennessee Christian faith leaders in early December called on the state of Tennessee and Republican Gov. Bill Lee to stop all executions.
Illinois Catholic bishops back pregnancy centers’ suit over law requiring abortion referrals December 17, 2025By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Bishops, News, Religious Freedom, Respect Life, World News Catholic bishops in Illinois offered their support to a lawsuit from pro-life pregnancy centers that say a Prairie State law requiring those centers to refer women for abortions violates their First Amendment rights.
Little Sisters of the Poor again appeal for protection from contraceptive rule December 16, 2025By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: News, Religious Freedom, Respect Life, Supreme Court, World News The Little Sisters of the Poor appealed an August ruling from a federal district court that struck down a religious conscience rule, their legal representatives said Dec. 15.
Increase in U.S. executions largely driven by Florida, year-end report says December 16, 2025By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: News, Respect Life, World News Although there was a significant increase in executions in the U.S. in 2025, a smaller number of new death sentences was imposed, a new report from the Death Penalty Information Center found.
Florida Catholic bishops urge Gov. DeSantis to stay two executions December 5, 2025By OSV News OSV News Filed Under: News, Respect Life, World News Saying it is possible both to uphold justice and to exercise mercy, Florida’s Catholic bishops have urged Gov. Ron DeSantis to stay executions scheduled for Dec. 9 and Dec. 18.
New coalition aims to end capital punishment as executions increase but public support wanes December 3, 2025By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: News, Respect Life, Supreme Court, World News Despite an uptick in executions in the U.S. in 2025, opponents of the death penalty lauded decreases in new death sentences and waning public support for the practice during comments at a Dec. 3 press event announcing a new coalition called the U.S. Campaign to End the Death Penalty.
Supreme Court weighs appeal from New Jersey faith-based pregnancy centers December 2, 2025By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: News, Religious Freedom, Respect Life, Supreme Court, World News The Supreme Court on Dec. 2 heard oral arguments in an appeal from a group of faith-based pregnancy centers in New Jersey challenging an investigation by that state’s attorney general alleging they misled people about their services and seeking information about their donors.
Record numbers of women are visiting pregnancy centers, study shows December 1, 2025By Zoey Maraist Filed Under: News, Respect Life, World News In 2024, pregnancy centers saw more new clients, provided more medical care and distributed more material goods than ever before, according to a new report from the Charlotte Lozier Institute.
