Medical Ethics Defense Act; established.
Medical Ethics Defense Act established. Establishes the right of a medical practitioner, health care institution, or health care payer not to participate in or pay for any medical procedure or service that violates such medical practitioner's, health care institution's, or health care payer's conscience, as those terms and conditions are defined in the bill. The bill provides protections for medical practitioners who disclose violations of the bill or report violations of laws or ethical guidelines for the safe provision of any medical procedure or service. The bill also provides a private right of action for any party harmed by violations of the bill.
2024 Regular Session
A medical practitioner, health care institution, or health care payer has the right not to participate in or pay for any medical procedure or service that violates such medical practitioner's, health care institution's, or health care payer's conscience. [...] No medical practitioner, health care institution, or health care payer shall be civilly, criminally, or administratively liable for exercising such medical practitioner's, health care institution's, or health care payer's right of conscience not to participate in or pay for a medical procedure or service. No health care institution shall be civilly, criminally, or administratively liable for exercising the right of conscience not to participate in a medical procedure or service by a medical practitioner employed, contracted, or granted admitting privileges by the health care institution.
D. No medical practitioner, health care institution, or health care payer shall face discrimination in any manner as a result of such medical practitioner's, health care institution's, or health care payer's decision to decline to participate in or pay for a medical procedure or service on the basis of conscience.
E. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter to the contrary, a religious medical practitioner, health care institution, or health care payer that is held out to the public as religious, states in governing documents a religious purpose or mission, and has internal operating policies or procedures that implement religious beliefs, shall have the right to make employment, staffing, contracting, and admitting privilege decisions consistent with religious beliefs.
| date | time | type | location | description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-02-08 | 08:30 | Hearing | Senate Room A, 3rd floor, General Assembly Building | Senate Committee on Education and Health Hearing |
| 2024-02-06 | 16:00 | Hearing | Senate Room C, 3rd Floor, General Assembly Building | Senate Education and Health - Subcommittee Health Hearing |
History
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 2024-02-08 | Stricken at request of patron in Education and Health (15-Y 0-N) |
| 2024-02-05 | Assigned Education and Health Sub: Health |
| 2024-01-05 | Referred to Committee on Education and Health |
| 2024-01-05 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/24 24104587D |