Federal funding for reproductive health research comes with conscience exemption for ART
H.R. 3589 — RESTORE Act · Filed by Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) · 5 cosponsors · Introduced May 23, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill expands federal research, training, and funding for reproductive health conditions (endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS, fibroids, blocked fallopian tubes) and 'restorative reproductive medicine'—an approach emphasizing diagnosis and treatment of underlying causes rather than assisted reproductive technology (ART). It directs HHS to conduct literature reviews, expand data collection, train medical professionals, update medical coding for better reimbursement, and open Title X family planning grants to entities specializing in restorative medicine and fertility awareness-based methods. It also prohibits discrimination against healthcare providers who decline to participate in ART on religious or moral grounds.
Why we flagged it
The bill's primary mechanism is expanding research, training, and funding for reproductive health conditions and 'restorative' medicine approaches. However, Section 4 introduces a significant conscience-based exemption for healthcare providers declining ART participation, which is ideologically freighted and substantively distinct from the research/training core.
- Section 4 prohibits federal discrimination against providers declining ART on religious/moral grounds. Unrelated to research/training mandate; appears to embed abortion/contraception-adjacent policy.
What the text implies
- Section 4's conscience exemption may create access gaps in underserved areas where few providers offer ART, leaving patients without local options if the sole provider declines on religious grounds.
- The bill's emphasis on 'restorative' medicine and fertility awareness methods, combined with the ART conscience clause, may signal a preference for non-contraceptive, non-suppressive approaches aligned with certain religious frameworks, potentially steering federal funding toward ideologically compatible providers.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
providers specializing in restorative reproductive medicine; fertility awareness-based method educators and trainers; medical device/diagnostic companies serving reproductive health (ultrasound, hormone testing)