WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 16, 2025—The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention has released its 2025 Public Policy Agenda, highlighting its federal legislative and policy priorities that are rooted in Scripture, reflective of the Baptist Faith & Message, and responsive to actions taken by messengers from SBC churches.
“This is a unique moment of opportunity for the ERLC to push forward on issues of importance to Southern Baptists in Washington,” said Hannah Daniel, ERLC director of public policy. “While this document certainly represents an ambitious agenda, we are optimistic about what can be accomplished alongside like minded partners and lawmakers in the year ahead.”
The following are highlights from the ERLC’s policy priorities for 2025:
2025 Public Policy Agenda: Life
- Ending the proliferation of chemical abortions: The Biden administration’s changes to the FDA’s Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy for mifepristone have dangerously expanded access to chemical abortion drugs, removing critical safeguards designed to protect women’s health and safety. In response, the ERLC urged the incoming Trump administration to reverse these harmful policies and restore the necessary protections. Additionally, the ERLC is advocating for the enforcement of the Comstock Act, a federal law that prohibits the mailing of abortion-related materials.
- Reinstate the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy and similar Title X pro-life domestic policies: Several government programs, such as USAID and Title X, provide contracts or grants for family planning and related projects. The ERLC is urging the Trump administration to reinstate the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy (known as the Mexico City Policy) and similar Title X policies previously implemented in the president’s first term, which barred any entities that perform or counsel for abortions domestically and abroad from receiving government funds.
- Defund Planned Parenthood: Southern Baptists have long stood against the use of taxpayer dollars to fund Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the U.S., responsible for nearly 400,000 abortions each year. The ERLC is calling on legislators and the administration to take concrete steps to ensure that no federal, state, or local funds are allocated to Planned Parenthood or its affiliates.
- Repeal the Biden administration’s pro-abortion regulations: A priority of the Biden administration has been to expand abortion access through the regulatory process. With many of these regulatory changes finalized in 2024 and now in effect, the ERLC is urging the Trump administration to swiftly repeal these regulations and uphold the dignity of the preborn.
“Christians need to be prepared to boldly counter the claims of the abortion industry and all those who seek to devalue human life—no matter the stage of development or location, ” said Jason Thacker, an ERLC senior fellow for Christian ethics. ”The ERLC will never stop working toward the eradication of these evil practices and help to usher in a culture of life that protects and cherished the most vulnerable among us.”
2025 Public Policy Agenda: Religious Liberty
- Oppose attacks on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act: The ERLC continues to support the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which ensures that the strictest legal protections are applied to ensure religious liberty is protected when enforcing federal law. As a result, the ERLC additionally opposes the so-called Do No Harm Act and the Equality Act, both of which would essentially hollow out the RFRA by limiting its applicability in certain matters.
- Repeal the Biden administration’s anti-religious liberty regulatory actions: Throughout its term, the Biden administration has manipulated the regulatory process to push forward its agenda, threatening the religious liberty and conscience rights of Americans and private entities. In response to this harmful rulemaking and following the Supreme Court’s decision to limit agency authority in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, the ERLC has asked the incoming Trump administration to undo each of these rules implemented by the Biden administration. The ERLC will continue to push back on any similar future efforts and support legislation like the Protecting Religious Freedom for Foster Families Act.
- Support the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in 2023 named Nigeria as the most dangerous place to be a Christian, with hundreds killed for their faith each year. Despite this intense persecution, the State Department has ignored USCIRF’s recommendations and has not designated Nigeria as a CPC for the previous four years. The ERLC will continue to urge the Department of State to take this vital action.
“Southern Baptists believe a free church in a free state is the ideal arrangement to cultivate authentic human flourishing,” said Nathan Finn, ERLC senior fellow for religious liberty issues. “Though this historic Baptist principle is also our ‘first freedom’ enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, it is continually rejected, redefined, and undermined by those who do not share our values. ERLC proclaims hope to the public square by advocating tirelessly for religious freedom for all people.”
2025 Public Policy Agenda: Marriage and Family
- Respond to the U.S. v. Skrmetti decision: One of the most consequential cases the Supreme Court will decide this term centers around Tennessee Senate Bill 1, a law that prohibits healthcare providers from offering prescriptions or performing procedures on a minor intending to affirm an identity inconsistent with a minor’s biological sex. Alongside the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, the ERLC filed an amicus brief in the case urging the justices to uphold Tennessee’s law as constitutional to protect children from the lifelong, harmful consequences of “gender transition” procedures.
- Support proposals to ban harmful “gender transition” surgeries and procedures: The ERLC has advocated against the mutilation of these vulnerable children before Congress, the administration, and the courts and will continue to do so throughout 2025. Additionally, the ERLC supports legislation such as the Protecting Minors from Medical Malpractice Act, which provides conscience protections for medical providers and ensures parents and children affected by “gender transition” surgeries and procedures have a private right of action to bring lawsuits.
- Protect women’s sports: The ERLC is committed to protecting sex-specific spaces, including women’s athletics, recognizing the inherent biological differences in men and women. The ERLC is encouraging the incoming Trump administration to restore the original intent of Title IX and supports legislation such as the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act.
“I recently received a hat with this inscription: XX ≠ XY,” said Gregg Allison, ERLC’s senior fellow for marriage and family. “In other words, a woman is not a man (and vice versa). This statement addresses the contemporary phenomenon of gender ideology, where, for example, a biological male claims to identify as a woman and wants to play on a women’s sports team (e.g., volleyball), use a women’s locker room, and take an athletic scholarship meant for a woman.
“In my writing and speaking, I work hard to expose and resist such ideological confusion and to promote God’s good design (Gen. 1:26-28) for his image bearers. The ERLC policy team does the same in the public square, advocating for Southern Baptists convictions in our nation’s capital.”
2025 Public Policy Agenda: Human Dignity
- Support efforts to restrict gambling: The mass legalization and normalization of gambling in the U.S. has created numerous challenges for individuals, families, and the church. The ERLC is working closely with our state Baptist partners who are on the front line of this issue and will continue to look for ways the federal government can better restrict and regulate this predatory industry.
- Oppose marijuana expansion: Though a number of states have moved to legalize marijuana, it remains illegal under federal law. The ERLC will continue to any efforts toward federal marijuana legalization that may arise in this new Congress. Additionally, in 2024, the Biden administration moved forward with rescheduling marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act. This move significantly loosened restrictions on marijuana, taking significant steps toward full legalization. The ERLC will continue to oppose these efforts to expand the availability of marijuana in our communities.
“Our political processes and policies play a vital role for local churches as they help us unite to organize our lives for the common good,” said RaShan Frost, ERLC’s director of research and senior fellow for human dignity concerns.
“As a pastor, I believe it is important to equip Christians with an understanding of our responsibilities as citizens who engage with our community while ultimately living for the glory of God as disciples of Jesus Christ in every aspect of our lives—where we live, learn, work, and play. This encourages us to consider policy issues from the perspective of our heavenly citizenship, while also acknowledging our earthly citizenship. When we approach public policy, we start with a fundamental question: does it honor the dignity of all human life, from conception to natural death, in alignment with God’s intentions? Because God deeply values human dignity, having created every person in his image, we are also called to ensure our policies reflect that dignity, showcasing our love for God and our neighbors.”
For more information and the expanded list of public policy priorities, please visit the public policy landing erlc.com/policy.
