Senate panel advances medical ‘conscience’ bill
Print
Email
Save
Reprints
Twitter
Share
Del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Reddit
Legislation to allow medical workers to opt out of performing services for moral or religious reasons narrowly passed out of a state Senate committee Wednesday.
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee approved House Bill 517 on a 3-2 vote after tinkering with some of the language.
HB517 would permit health-care workers to refuse to participate in any medical service “that violates his conscience.” Conscience is defined as religious belief or moral conviction.
That includes procedures such as abortions, euthanasia, cloning and human embryonic stem cell research.
The legislation is backed by Gov. Bobby Jindal and groups such as the Louisiana Family Forum and the Louisiana Right to Life Federation. The bill is sponsored by state Rep. Harvey LeBas, D-Ville Platte.
Opponents include Planned Parenthood, Louisiana Agenda for Children, the Forum for Equality and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Marjorie Esman of the ACLU of Louisiana said the bill could lead to all kinds of discrimination and racism under the guise of moral objections.
“At best, this bill would lead to all kinds of unintended consequences,” Esman said.
For instance, she said, some religions oppose immunization shots for children. In a rural area, a doctor refusing to do immunizations could lead to a school being temporarily shut down, she said.
While narrowing language in the bill through amendments, state Sen. Cheryl Gray Evans, D-New Orleans, said, “I’m trying to make a bad bill a good bill. It’s problematic in committee.”
Committee members said more amendments could come on the Senate floor.
Committee Chairwoman Willie Mount, D-Lake Charles; Dale Erdey, R-Livingston; and David Heitmeier, D-New Orleans, voted in favor of the bill.
Gray Evans and Sen. Yvonne Dorsey, D-Baton Rouge, opposed it.
 | ||||
| Most Popular | Most Emailed | Hot Topics | ||
