Idaho Governor Signs Bill Safeguarding Conscience Rights for Pro-Life Doctors
Idaho Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 59 into law on Wednesday — a measure that would safeguard conscience rights for pro-life medical professionals.
The bill, which had been sent to the governor’s desk earlier in the month, aims to protect healthcare professionals from being compelled to perform non-emergency procedures like abortions that conflict with their religious, moral, or ethical beliefs. Supporters argue that it safeguards the conscience rights of medical providers.
The Medical Ethics Defense Act applies to a wide range of healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and psychologists. Under the new law, these professionals cannot be forced by employers, regulators, or legal mandates to participate in treatments or procedures they conscientiously object to, provided the situation is not an emergency.
REACH PRO-LIFE PEOPLE WORLDWIDE! Advertise with LifeNews to reach hundreds of thousands of pro-life readers every week. Contact us today.
The legislation was championed by conservative lawmakers like Senator Tammy Nichols, who framed it as a response to growing concerns among healthcare workers about being pressured to act against their principles. Nichols and other proponents suggest that this protection could attract more medical professionals to Idaho.
Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Greg Chafuen hailed the legislation in comments to LifeNews:
“Patients are best served by healthcare professionals who are free to act consistent with their oath to ‘do no harm.’ Unfortunately, doctors and nurses have been targeted for caring for their patients by refraining from harmful and dangerous procedures. What may be worse, countless young professionals are kept out of the healthcare field because of fear that they will be forced to violate their conscience. Idaho’s MED Act ensures that healthcare professionals are not forced participate in procedures that violate their ethical, moral, or religious beliefs. ADF commends Rep. Bruce Skaug, Sen. Carl Bjerke, and the Idaho Legislature for their fortitude, and Gov. Little for standing with healthcare professionals and the patients they serve by enacting the MED Act. We also thank Idaho Family Strong for their leadership in seeing that Idaho healthcare heroes are free to care for all patients in a compassionate, ethical manner.”
Governor Little’s decision to sign the bill reflects his administration’s broader alignment with conservative priorities, though he has not yet issued an extensive public statement on HB 59.
In August 2022, the Biden-Harris administration sued Idaho, claiming that it could use the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) to force hospitals to kill babies in elective abortions.