Iowa bill creates 'conscience' clause allowing health care groups to opt out of services
A bill in the Iowa Legislature would create a "conscience" clause for health care institutions and workers, allowing them to opt out of services or procedures that violates their personal or religious beliefs.
Senate Study Bill 3006 would allow providers and practitioners to list services they refuse to pay for or participate in, and would protect them from legal action or termination as a result of their refusal.
The legislation would also protects whistleblowers who provide information about their employer violating the measure, and bars regulators and boards from revoking or threatening to revoke a license or certification on the grounds of the bill.
Subcommittee chair Sen. Jeff Taylor, R-Sioux Center, said the legislation was not intended to target "specific groups of people," but rather addresses "specific procedures, specific products in the health care realm."
Specific procedures that might be affected by the bill did not come up in Wednesday's bill discussions, although there was a brief mention during testimony of cesarean sections. However, the broadly based wording in the bill indicates it could apply to a host of procedures, depending on a person's religious or personal beliefs.
Iowa law currently contains language allowing health care workers to conscientiously object to recommending, performing or assisting with an abortion, and protecting them from discrimination because of their refusal.
Religious groups who spoke in support said that it enshrined core freedoms in state law.
"The right of conscience is a fundamental right in human beings," said Tom Chapman, executive director of the Iowa Catholic Conference.
But a vast majority of the feedback at a hearing held Wednesday was opposition from medical professionals and organizations, who argued the bill could deny patients basic standards of care.
"This is a public health disaster," said Becky Johnson, a nurse practitioner who is based in Des Moines. "It's a legal nightmare. … The people that it's proposed to protect already have the power. It's going to create more inequities and more chaos."
Sen. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines, said she believed the legislation would worsen the health care landscape for women and mothers.
"This bill is just one more example, especially for women who are worrying that when they go to a hospital or health care provider that they may be denied care," Peterson said. "And also children."
The bill was advanced Wednesday to a full committee with recommendations to make changes going forward.
Galen Bacharier covers politics for the Register. Reach him at gbacharier@registermedia.com or (573) 219-7440, and follow him on Twitter @galenbacharier.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Legislature: Bill would grant health providers 'conscience clause'
