Senate committee advances Medical Ethics Defense Act after hours of testimony for and against broad conscience protections

Senator Carl Bierke introduced House Bill 59 to the Health and Welfare Committee as legislation "intended to protect conscience rights of health care entities" and expand protections beyond current law to a broader range of health‑care professionals, institutions and payers. He told the committee the bill would prevent employers, licensing boards or insurers from forcing a medical professional to participate in non‑emergency procedures that violate the individual's sincerely held religious, moral or ethical beliefs and would provide whistleblower and free‑speech protections.

Sponsor testimony outlined eight principal elements: conscience protections that cover refusal to participate in specified procedures; whistleblower protections for reporting violations; free‑speech protections to limit licensing penalties for expression of beliefs unless speech directly causes physical harm;…