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Sponsor presents Maternal Health Care Protection Act cleanup after testimony about denied prenatal care
Summary
Representative Bain presented HB 25-23 to clarify that conscience protections cannot be used to deny standard pregnancy-related care; testimony relayed that a Tennessee woman was denied prenatal care because she was unmarried and sought care out of state. The committee discussed scope and available complaint records.
Representative Bain described HB 25-23 as a cleanup to the Medical Ethics Defense Act, clarifying that conscience-protection language cannot be used to deny standard, medically necessary pregnancy-related care when it is within a provider's licensed scope. The sponsor said the bill "ensures that patients can still receive emergency care, treatment for pregnancy complications, and routine prenatal and postpartum care."
Sponsor Mikayla Webb read testimony from a Tennessee woman who said she was denied prenatal care in June 2025 because she was unmarried and had to seek a provider in Virginia. Committee members asked whether the incident produced formal complaints; one member said they could not find complaint records, and members discussed how the Medical Ethics Defense Act covers procedures and not marital status.
