This bill passed the Senate this past week. It recognizes the freedom of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and hospitals to decline to participate in medical treatments that violate their religious beliefs or moral convictions. These professionals may not be discriminated against in any way.
Freedom of speech and freedom of conscience are for everyone, including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. Conscience protections respect a doctor’s oath to “Do No Harm”. No doctor should be forced to violate that oath.
Patients receive the best medical care when doctors and nurses can follow their conscience and act consistent with their oath to “Do No Harm.”
Doctors, nurses, and pharmacists should not be forced to choose between their ethical, moral or religious values and their life’s calling.
Current conscience issues concern elective treatments, such as abortion, treatments that result in sterilization, castration, or removal of otherwise healthy body parts, dispensing marijuana and mind-altering drugs, gene-editing on unborn babies, etc. These are generally the kinds of medical issues that health care professionals might have objections to due to their faith.
Freedom of conscience preserves the right to refrain from performing a particular procedure. It is never the right to refuse service to a particular person.
This bill does not permit providers or hospitals to decline to serve a person based upon race, color, sex or any other protected characteristic. This bill simply protects providers from being required to perform specific procedures or treatments.
This bill does not allow providers to refuse to provide general care to a patient or kick a patient out of their practice. It simply protects providers who gladly serve everyone from being required to perform a specific medical procedure if doing so would violate their conscience. It is not legal permission to refuse to provide general medical care.
This bill would not impede the ability of patients to receive proper emergency care. It would not conflict with or supersede the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.
This law benefits patients by protecting the supply of medical professionals within the health care system. This means more options and choices for patients. Driving out doctors because of their faith means fewer healthcare options. This reduces access to care for patients at a time when our healthcare system is overtaxed and experiencing a dire shortage of skilled professionals.
Should a doctor be forced to harm instead of heal? Should a doctor be forced to take life rather than restore or enhance it? Who wants a doctor without a conscience?
The Trump administration in 2024 approved a rule providing for conscience protections for health care providers. This bill is very similar to that.
10 states have comprehensive protections for healthcare conscience rights: AL, AR, IL, MS, OH, SC, FL, MT, ID, and TN.
Bills Passed the Senate
Civil Rights Commissions-SF 579: Requires complaints with a local civil rights commission where a party is a city or a county to be referred to the State Office of Civil Rights (IOCR). It also provides that if a local complaint has not been resolved within 12 months, if a party requests, the case can be moved to the IOCR. Additionally, it says that cities and counties cannot enact any ordinances which are broader or have different categories of unfair or discriminatory practices than state law. This means that some local governments who have the category of “gender identity” as a protected class, will have an ordinance that is unenforceable. Removes the requirement that cities of a certain size have a local civil rights commission. The city may still have one if they wish.
Automated Vehicle Enforcement System Reform-SF 2284: This bill has 3 major provisions:
- Data collected by an automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cannot be shared with a nongovernmental 3rd party.
- A city cannot issue a citation for a violation identified by a noise enforcement system based on the noise emitted from the vehicle’s brakes or exhaust system while the vehicle is reducing speed.
- If the owner of a vehicle is issued a citation but they weren’t the driver, the owner may show evidence to show someone else was driving. If there is sufficient evidence, the citation issued to the owner shall be dismissed and they shall not pay a fee.
Students with Behavioral Issues-SF 2404: Sets up a pilot program for an attendance center used to provide educational services to students requiring special education and students with behavioral issues.
Classroom Disruption in Schools-SF 2428: Provides procedures for handling disruptive, disorderly, abusive, or violent behavior by students in the classroom and includes protection for teachers as part of the process.
County Jail Cost Analysis Study-SF 2368: When counties are considering approving a project that builds a new jail or extensively remodels their existing jail, they are required to conduct a cost-analysis study. They must consider the county and non-county jail population, all their costs, and the capacity of surrounding counties’ jails.
Local Government Regulations-SF 2434: Requires cities and counties to provide a cost analysis on each ordinance to the taxpayers. Also requires cities and counties to have their internal rules adopted by their staff to also be approved by the city council or the county board of supervisors.
Regents Universities Investments-SF 2453: Requires the Regents universities to invest at least 1% of their unrestricted total endowment assets (not specified by the donors as to what the money must be spent on) in innovation funds. Innovation funds are capital funds certified by the Iowa Economic Development Authority. These funds are required to support commercialization of technologies and research-derived innovations that come out of Iowa’s universities.
Student Loan Programs-HF 703: Requires the Iowa Student Loan Liquidity Corporation to work with the Iowa College Aid program to provide loan rate information to students so they can compare it with the federal direct plus loan rate.
Cigar Bars-SF 2444: Establishes regulations for cigar bars. They must generate at least 35% of revenue from retail sale of premium cigars and cigar-related products. They can sell liquor and must also hold liquor and tobacco licenses. Prohibits preparation of food for consumption on the premises. Must not allow persons under 21. Provides an exemption for them from the Iowa Smokefree Air Act, which generally bans smoking at commercial premises.
State Horse-SJR 2010: Designates the American cream draft horse as the state horse of Iowa. This is the only breed of horse that has been developed in Iowa.
Life Jackets in Boats-SF 548: The law currently requires all persons in a boat to wear a life jacket while the boat is underway. This bill says adult passengers are not required to do this if the boat is moving at 10 mph or less or is travelling in a no-wake zone.
Deer Hunting-HF 2215: Lowers the age in which you can hunt deer with a pistol or revolver under supervision from 20 years of age or less to 18 years of age or less. Eliminates the age requirement of the person who can supervise the underage deer hunter.
