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House committee advances Medical Ethics Defense Act after hours of testimony
Summary
The Tennessee House Health Committee voted to move HB 1044, the Medical Ethics Defense Act, to the calendar and rules committee after extensive testimony for and against the measure. Supporters said it protects clinicians' conscience rights; opponents warned it is too broad and could harm patient trust.
Chair Brian Terry, sponsor of House Bill 1044, told the committee the measure "safeguards the rights of doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and medical students to practice medicine in alignment with their moral, ethical, and religious beliefs." The committee voted to send the bill to calendar and rules.
The bill would create statutory protections permitting certain health-care personnel to decline to participate in procedures, treatments or services that violate their conscience, provide whistleblower protections for workers who assert those rights, and prohibit government entities from taking action against a provider for exercising free speech, according to the sponsor's description. Terry…
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