The United States is approaching yet another tipping point in an ongoing battle between clashing worldviews, with public policy issues such as religious liberty, parental rights, abortion, euthanasia and transgender ideology taking center stage.
As Nov. 3 approaches—the day when millions of citizens will cast a vote on who will lead the U.S. Senate and House and who will sit in state offices such as governor, attorney general and other consequential positions—the perennial question of which policies will guide the nation looms large.
Elections Always Have Consequences
The effects of a 2022 state policy radically impacted the lives of three Christian foster families in Massachusetts. The law required all foster families to sign a policy in which they would agree to affirm the sexual orientation or gender identity of a foster child under their care. But for foster parents Greg and Marianelly Schrock, Audrey and Nicholas Jones, and Heath and Lydia Marvin, this violated their Christian faith.
The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) revoked the license of the Schrocks, who had fostered 28 children in the state. The Joneses were told in September 2025 that the DCF was planning to remove their 17-month-old foster child because they would not sign the agreement. And the DCF refused to renew the license of the Marvins, who had fostered eight children under the age of 4 since 2020.
It wasn’t until religious liberty law firm Alliance Defending Freedom filed suit against Massachusetts and the state faced federal pressure that it permitted religious families back into the system. Cases such as these reflect the potential for how state and federal laws can impact the culture, for better or worse.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, told Decision, “People should pay very close attention to state laws, those who are running to make those laws, the attorneys general in those states and the state elected officials. What’s happening at the state level is very important in our system—our federalist system—because the state laws become, as we’ve seen in recent years, a defense against the encroachment of bad federal policy.”
The former Louisiana legislator added, “The state level is an opportunity to actually get strong pro-family, pro-life, Biblically aligned laws into place.”
The election of candidates running for both state and federal offices in November will determine the direction the nation will take in the coming years. One-third of the seats in the Senate (35) are up for grabs, and all 435 districts in the House are in play. In recent years, majorities in both the U.S. House and the Senate have been some of the narrowest ever, raising the stakes in congressional elections.
States considered Senate battlegrounds include Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Alaska, which are toss-ups, while North Carolina and New Hampshire lean Democratic, according to the Cook Political Report. Iowa and Texas are also expected to be competitive but lean Republican.
Thirty-eight competitive House races are taking place in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
As the elections approach, Perkins urges Christians to remember that a fallen world will never produce perfect candidates.
“We have to sometimes make a choice between candidates—a candidate who clearly doesn’t align with the values that are advocated from a Biblical worldview and a candidate who may be 50% there, maybe 25% there,” Perkins said, adding, “We’ve got to do our very best to make the right choice that’s before us.”
Perkins says comparing candidates’ policies to Scripture is “an essential part of having a Biblical worldview.”
“I think past performance is the best indicator of future performance and where they have stood on key issues, Biblical issues,” he said. “And there’s quite frankly very few issues that do not touch on Biblical principles.” ©2026 BGEA
Policy Comparisons
Democratic and Republican lawmakers have introduced and supported bills that exemplify their parties’ positions on key moral issues. The following comparisons are intended to help voters weigh Biblical values as they go to the polls.
Abortion
Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025 (S. 2150 / H.R. 12)
Unanimously supported by Democrats, this bill, first introduced in 2013, would establish federal protections for abortion access and limit state restrictions that prevent access to abortion up to birth. It last passed the House in 2022 and is now pending.
“The Women’s Health Protection Act [will] restore the right to abortion and end the national nightmare Republicans created by overturning Roe. Democrats will never stop fighting to restore abortion access nationwide—nothing less.” —Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Senate co-sponsor
“The so-called Women’s Health Protection Act … would have eliminated all state pro-life laws and forced taxpayers to fund abortion.” —Tony Perkins, Family Research Council president, speaking after a previous version failed
Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act (S. 4066 / H.R. 7902)
These companion bills were introduced to prohibit the dissemination of the chemical abortion pill mifepristone through mail-order delivery and telehealth access by withdrawing the FDA’s approval of mifepristone. S. 4066 was introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.) introduced H.R. 7902 in the House in March 2026. The bill has not passed either chamber.
“This isn’t about science and protecting women, it’s a calculated plot by Republicans obsessed with controlling the private healthcare decisions of women in America.” —Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)
“The science is clear: the chemical abortion drug is inherently dangerous to women and prone to abuse. … Congress must act now to protect the health and safety of women.” —Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Senate sponsor
LGBTQ Issues
The Transgender Health Care Access Act (S. 3206 / H.R. 2487)
The legislation, introduced by Democrats, aims to expand access to transgender treatments, regardless of age. The bill would support programs that train medical practitioners to administer transgender treatments while funding curricula for doctors. The bill was introduced in the Senate in November 2025 and is pending.
“The bill funds programs to train medical providers in providing gender-affirming care. This bill explicitly excludes conversion therapy from funding, which 12% of transgender people were subjected to last year.” —Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), House sponsor
“Transgenderism is the only mental illness demanding that the rest of society adopt the patient’s delusions as part of the patient’s treatment.” —Dr. Paul McHugh, distinguished professor of psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University
Religious Freedom
The Equality Act of 2025 (S. 1503 / H.R. 15)
First introduced in 2015, the legislation would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Pushed by Democrats, the measure would include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity in education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, employment and other areas. Republicans largely oppose the bill, contending that it would eliminate women’s privacy by requiring organizations to allow gender identity to determine access to bathrooms and locker rooms instead of biological sex. Safety and fairness in female sports competitions could also be in jeopardy.
“It’s imperative Congress passes the Equality Act to ensure members of the LGBTQ community are protected from discrimination.” —Kamala Harris, former vice president of the United States
“[The Equality Act] makes LGBT a protected class in federal law. It also removes religious liberty protections. It’s a disaster for religious liberty.”—Denny Burk, Center for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
Do No Harm Act (H.R. 1954)
The Do No Harm Act, proposed by Democratic lawmakers, would amend the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Reintroduced March 6, 2025, the bill would limit the use of religious freedom claims as a legal defense within certain contexts such as healthcare and many other workplace environments. The RFRA was created to protect citizens’ rights to exercise their religion by limiting the burdens government can place on religious exercise. Democrats argue that religious freedom should not be used as a license to deny a person transgender care, preferred pronouns or an abortion. The bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee
“[The Do No Harm Act] would clarify that no one can seek religious exemption from laws guaranteeing Fundamental civil and legal rights.“ -former Rep. Joseph Kennedy (D-Mass.), onetime co-sponsor
“The Do No Harm Act would limit the right of religious individuals and institutions to go to court to protect their religious exercise. And it is difficult to imagine a greater harm than this to religious citizens.” —Kim Colby, Christian Legal Society
Parental Rights
Parents Bill of Rights Act (H.R. 5)
The Parents Bill of Rights passed the House in March 2023 despite unanimous Democratic opposition. Backed by Republican lawmakers, the bill, which died in the Senate, would have expanded parental access to curriculum, books and reading materials in public schools. Parents would also have had the right to know if the school allows biological males into female-only spaces such as restrooms or locker rooms. Under the bill, a school would also need parental consent before calling a child by a preferred name or a pronoun inconsistent with their biological sex.
“This Republican bill is asking the government to force the outing of LGBT people before they are ready.” —Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)
“The Parents Bill of Rights is an important step towards protecting children and dramatically strengthening the rights of parents.” —Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)
