Red state GOP lawmakers advance bill letting Christian doctors deny care to patients

05 March

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One controversial piece of legislation just cleared a major hurdle in the Oklahoma legislature, and it could impact the healthcare of thousands of residents.

The Oklahoma Voice recently reported that House Bill 1224, which was authored by Republican state representative Kevin West, just advanced to the full House of Representatives for a floor vote after narrowly passing out of the House Health and Human Services Oversight Committee on a 7-6 vote. The Voice noted that the bill had "bipartisan opposition."

If passed and signed into law, West's legislation would allow healthcare providers in the Sooner State to refuse to provide any services that would violate their "ethical, moral, or religious beliefs or principles." House Bill 1224 also stipulates that providers "may not be held liable for damages allegedly arising from the exercise of conscience not to participate in a healthcare service."

Oklahoma House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson (D) blasted the bill as a way to make sure that conservative doctors wouldn't be compelled to provide procedures like "abortion [and] gender-affirming care" without being sued. She reminded her fellow lawmakers that Oklahoma is already home to "maternal healthcare deserts" in which patients in rural areas have to travel for hours to receive certain services.

"“And so where will Oklahomans go, even if it’s just a handful of people who need care, if there’s truly no access, if people decide to take this law and say, ‘I’m not going to provide a procedure or service because it goes against my conscience?’" Munson said. "Where will Oklahomans go?”

Even though Oklahoma is considered a Republican stronghold, House Bill 1224 is still a long shot to pass, given that similar legislation failed to pass through the state senate last year despite passage through the house. Rep. West also acknowledged that he hadn't spoken to healthcare providers before filing the bill, but insisted that doctors would welcome the ability to conscientiously deny care without fear of repercussions.

"I think contrary to [West’s] statement that physicians welcome this bill, they don’t, and the debate discussing how it will affect patients is true,” Dr Angela Hawkins, who is chair of the Oklahoma section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, told the Voice. “It will limit care for some patients, and not just in relation to abortion or gender-affirming care. You have people who will have decreased access to contraception, even decreased access potentially to mental health services."

Click here to read the Voice's full report.

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