Ohio conscience clause worries LGBTQ and medical communities
The LGBTQ and medical communities expressed worry over the Ohio conscience clause included in the budget bill that would allow refusal of medical care if it violates their religious or moral beliefs.
HB110 was signed into law by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine last June. Under this clause, Ohio doctors, nurses, and even insurance companies can legally refuse to provide medical care.
Ohio conscience clause focuses on procedures
According to the language of the HB110, healthcare providers aren’t allowed to deny treating a specific patient.
But it does allow them to refuse performing specific procedures that they think would violate their religious or moral beliefs.
Eliana Turan, director of development at the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, as well as an Army veteran and a transgender woman, finds this problematic.
“This is a back door means of discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, and I’m a transwoman,” said Turan.
“I have a lot of healthcare needs. I’m on hormone replacement therapy. There are many things that I routinely go in for that could be taken away now completely legally, and I would have no recourse whatsoever,” she added.
Language in law also targets women
Critics have also said the language of the law could restrict access to reproductive healthcare for women.
Turan said: “I think this is a pivotal moment in the history of America regarding reproductive freedom.”
She noted the law’s similarity to laws in Texas and other places: “We have to ask ourselves if Ohio is actually doing the same thing but through a more back door means that people aren’t going to notice as much.”
The law also gives these providers immunity from lawsuits for refusing to provide that care.
What’s more, it does not compel physicians to refer patients to another provider.
Ohio conscience clause goes against oath
Aside from those in the LGBTQ community, there were others from the Ohio healthcare community who are opposed to the new law.
These include the Ohio Hospital Association, Ohio State Medical Association, and Ohio Association of Health Plans.
These groups came out with a letter that declared HB110 “could lead to situations where patient care is unacceptably compromised.
Laura Mintz, a pediatrician at MetroHealth that treats members of the LGBTQ community, believes that the law goes against the doctors’ Hippocratic Oath.
“I think every medical provider who thinks about this for five minutes knows that anything that restricts access to healthcare leads to poorer health outcomes, leads to death, leads to illness,” Mintz said.