A bill that would protect doctors and other health care providers who refuse to provide services that they say would violate their consciences failed in a House committee Thursday.
Opponents of House Bill 1628, which would create the Health Care Freedom of Conscience Act, were unpersuaded by supporters' assertion that the bill would not allow discrimination against homosexual or transgender people.
State Surgeon General Greg Bledsoe, an emergency room physician, said the bill "is well-intentioned, but it's misguided."
"We have to be very cognizant of the kind of message that this sends," Bledsoe said. For some groups of people, he added, "these sort of bills sends a message that threatens you."
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Brandt Smith, R-Jonesboro, said the bill would allow practitioners to refuse to perform a certain type of procedure, but they could not refuse care based on a patient's "identity or status."
"I don't know why we didn't use the term 'sexual orientation,'" Smith said after the meeting. "Other than those two words I think we were pretty explicit."
The bill failed in the House Public Health, Welfare and Labor in an 11-8 vote. Smith said he wouldn't rule out bringing the bill up again if it gains more support.
A Section on 03/10/2017