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Committee advances HB232 on conscience protections for medical professionals; amendment narrows scope to abortion
Summary
The House Judiciary Committee voted to advance HB232, as amended, narrowing the bill to conscience protections tied to abortion and reducing damages; supporters say it protects providers’ conscience rights, opponents say it risks broad refusal rights for nonclinical staff and will harm rural access.
The House Judiciary Committee voted to advance House Bill 232 as amended, a measure that would allow health-care workers to refuse participation in abortion-related services on conscience grounds.
Representative Pedernal, the amendment sponsor, said the latest "replace-all" amendment removes sterilization and contraceptive provisions, aligns the definition of abortion with a referenced New Hampshire statute, and eliminates threefold damages in favor of limiting damages to actual losses. "This bill is about choice," Pedernal said, arguing it would protect…
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