Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 12, 2023 / 08:25 am
On Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law legislation that ensures medical professionals and institutions that provide health care cannot be forced to violate their moral, ethical, or religious convictions.
The new law forbids employers from taking adverse actions against employees who refuse to provide services based on a conscience-based objection. This means the employee cannot be fired, suspended, or disciplined. A medical practitioner must provide his or her employer with written notice of any conscience-based objection.
Institutions that provide medical services — as well as institutions and individuals who provide payments for health care services for others, such as employers — will also receive the same legal protections.
“It is the intent of the Legislature to provide the right of medical conscience for health care providers and payors to ensure they can care for patients in a manner consistent with their moral, ethical, and religious convictions,” the legislation states. “Further, it is the intent of the Legislature that licensed health care providers and payors be free from threat of discrimination for providing conscience-based health care.”