A charge-pump biased battery protection circuit provides improved efficiency, reduced power dissipation, and reduced complexity in battery powered circuits. A charge pump is utilized to bias the gate of a single pass transistor such that the voltage between the pass transistor gate and the drain/source terminals of the pass transistor have a magnitude greater than the battery voltage, reducing the voltage drop across the pass transistor. The charge pump may be controlled in conformity with a sensed current through the pass transistor, so that at times of lower current loads, power is conserved. The bulk (body) of the pass transistor can be controlled using a resistor coupling a battery terminal to the bulk and a single switch coupling the bulk to a charger/load connection terminal, permitting a single pass transistor to be used for charging and discharging.