Written by Deborah Yetter of the Courier-Journal
Any health care worker could refuse to provide treatment that violates his or her conscience under a bill pending in the state Senate.
It’s a measure critics say could limit patient access to a host of services, such as abortion, contraceptives, or care for transgender individuals.
Insurance companies also could refuse to pay in such cases under Senate Bill 90, sponsored by Sen. Stephen Meredith (R-Leitchfield).
Meredith said it is aimed solely at providing protection for health care workers under pressure to provide certain treatments or medication they oppose in a rapidly changing climate of medical advances.
Opponents, including Planned Parenthood, the state Fairness Campaign, the Kentucky Mental Health Coalition and the Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs, argued it could curtail care for health services ranging from abortion and psychological counseling to treatment for rape victims.
“I think it’s a bad bill, and its going to put discrimination into the statutes,” said Sheila Schuster, a psychologist and executive director of the mental health group.
(Cross-posted via the Kentucky Press News Service. Read the rest of the article at the Courier-Journal.)
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