Arkansas House panel rejects health care objections measure

LITTLE ROCK - An Arkansas House panel on Thursday rejected legislation that would have allowed medical providers to refuse to treat someone because of their religious or moral beliefs after opponents said it was too broad and would allow discrimination against patients.

The House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee voted 8-10 for the proposal, which said health care workers and institutions have the right to not participate in non-emergency treatments that violate their conscience. The Senate approved the bill earlier this month.

The proposal had the backing of state Surgeon General Greg Bledsoe, who opposed a similar measure that failed in the Legislature in 2017. Supporters of the bill said it would protect health care workers from being forced to perform something that goes against their conscience.

Bledsoe, who is now running for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor, said he didn't feel like the legislation was needed four years ago. But he said there's now more of a concern about physicians forced to participate in sex reassignment procedures for transgender people, despite it going against their personal beliefs.

"Coercing physicians or any other health care providers into doing things against their conscience is a very dangerous precedent, wherever you fall on the political spectrum," Bledsoe told the panel.

Opponents have also said it would allow providers to turn LGBTQ patients away because of a provider's personal beliefs. The head of the Arkansas chamber of commerce told the panel some of the state's largest companies opposed the bill.

"It signals that Arkansas would put in question the ability of some of their employees and potential employees to get needed medical attention," Randy Zook, the chamber's president, said. "That is profoundly disturbing to these business leaders."

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