Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (R) signed legislation on Friday that will allow doctors to refuse some patients due to religious or moral objections.
Why does it matter: It is a measure that opponents say will allow service providers to discriminate against patients, including LGBTQ and others, writes the AP.
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Details: The provision, which will not take effect until this summer, gives providers “the right not to participate in non-emergency treatments that violate their conscience”. It also claims to prohibit discrimination by AP.
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Refusal laws, often called “conscience” laws, are also considered “dangerous” for women, according to NARAL. These measures “allow a wide range of individuals and institutions – including hospitals, healthcare providers, pharmacists, employers and insurers – to refuse to provide, pay, advise or even refer for medical treatment”.
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The new law is likely to face a challenge in court.
Worthless: The Trump administration issued a similar rule in May 2019, allowing healthcare professionals to refuse to perform operations such as abortion, sterilization or assisted suicide, according to the NPR.
What they are saying: “I support this right of conscience, as long as emergency care is exempt and the conscientious objection cannot be used to deny general health services to any class of people,” Hutchinson said in a statement.
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Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David said: “Governor Hutchinson is proving to be a cruel opponent of equality by signing this draconian medical refusal bill,” according to a Friday afternoon statement.
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The HRC cited a number of scenarios in which a medical worker ‘s refusal to provide non – emergency treatment can cause serious harm, such as:
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Pharmacies refusing to fulfill birth control and antiretroviral prescriptions to treat HIV infection.
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A doctor refusing to continue hormone treatment for a trans patient who needed hospitalization due to an infection.
The big picture: LGBTQ people already face discrimination in healthcare and tend to skip routine care, according to the Center for American Progress.
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It comes as part of a series of measures aimed at transgender people, many of which have passed the Republican-led state legislature this year.
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On Thursday, Hutchinson signed a measure to ban trans women and girls from playing on sports teams that align with their gender identity.
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