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Bill

SB 305

AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- MEDICAL ETHICS DEFENSE ACT

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Elaine Morgan

Establishes legal protections allowing healthcare providers to refuse services based on moral, religious, or ethical beliefs, potentially limiting patient access to lawful medical care.

05/20/2025 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
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Bill Summary · SB 305

Legislative bill overview

SB 305, the Medical Ethics Defense Act, establishes legal protections for healthcare providers who refuse to provide medical services based on personal moral, ethical, or religious beliefs. The bill would create an affirmative defense in civil litigation and potentially shield providers from professional discipline when they decline treatment based on these grounds.

Why is this important

This legislation directly affects patient access to healthcare by potentially allowing providers to decline services without clear regulatory consequences. It raises fundamental questions about the balance between provider conscience rights and patient access to lawful medical care, particularly for time-sensitive or regionally limited services.

Potential points of contention

  • Patient access vs. provider rights: Unclear mechanism for ensuring patients can still access refused services, especially in rural areas or for emergency conditions
  • Definition ambiguity: "Moral, ethical, or religious beliefs" lacks precise definition, potentially allowing broad refusals beyond traditional conscience-based objections
  • Scope of services: Unclear whether refusals apply only to participation in procedures or extend to referrals, prescriptions, and other indirect involvement
  • Discrimination concerns: Potential for protections to shield discrimination against LGBTQ+ patients and other protected groups seeking reproductive, gender-affirming, or other contested services
  • Public health impact: May create gaps in service availability for abortion, contraception, gender-affirming care, and end-of-life services

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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