Senate Bill 132 would prohibit what it calls "discrimination" against health care professionals who decline to perform procedures that violate their moral or religious beliefs.
"There are definitely some people who don't mind violating their own conscience when they want to do procedures. But for those who have strongly held beliefs, that's what this bill is for," the bill's sponsor, Nicholasville Republican and physician Donald Douglas said. "But our job is to legislate for the masses, and then we can come back and we can do amendments for the exceptions."
Opponents objected in committee, saying the measure will lead to denial of medical services and upend health care providers' promise to treat patients in a way that puts their needs and well-being above all else. Dr Karen Abrams, a Kentucky pediatrician and physician, listed examples of ways she said the bill could backfire.
"A nurse who is a Jehovah's Witness could refuse to give a bleeding patient a blood transfusion. A registration clerk could refuse to sign in a child of same-sex parents, thus denying care. This bill allows for discrimination and denial of care," she told a Senate panel.
The bill easily made its way through the Kentucky Senate on a 26-6svote Friday. It now heads to the House.