Under legislation approved by an Oklahoma House committee, medical professionals cannot be forced to participate in activities—such as abortion or performing sex-change surgeries on children—that violate their religious or moral beliefs.

House Bill 1224, by state Rep. Kevin West, states, “A medical practitioner has the right not to participate in a health care service that violates the medical practitioner’s conscience.”

Under the bill’s provisions, a health care institution cannot be held liable for an employee’s decision not to participate in a specific procedure or service, and the hospital cannot discriminate against an employee who seeks an exemption based on moral objections.

In addition, state boards cannot sanction or strip the license of anyone who engages “in speech or expressive activity protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, unless the board or agency demonstrates by clear and convincing evidence that the medical practitioner’s speech was the direct cause of physical harm” to a patient.

Under the bill, no health care institution or health care payor, such as a Catholic hospital, can be required to participate in or pay for “a health care service that violates the health care institution’s or health care payor’s conscience, including by permitting the use of its facilities.”

West said the bill simply provides medical professionals with the same rights enjoyed by individuals working in other fields.

“Pretty much any other profession you’re not forced to do things that violate your conscience,” said West, R-Moore. “This is just putting the medical field in that same plane.”

State Rep. Ellen Pogemiller, D-Oklahoma City, opposed the bill, arguing it would worsen access to medical services.

“When we have a limited amount of health care providers throughout the state, we are really limiting the scope based on the broad range of not only conscientious decisions, (but) we’re also broadening on any aspect of anybody in that medical care facility denying service for a variety of preventative services,” Pogemiller said.

She suggested medical providers may refuse to perform depression screenings or tobacco cessation or cervical-cancer screenings based on moral objections if HB 1224 becomes law.

West noted that no notable problems have occurred in other states with similar laws already in place, such as Illinois.

And another lawmaker noted that other professionals already enjoy the right to abide by their religious convictions.

“As an attorney, I have the right to take what cases I want and get out in the middle if I don’t want to,” said state Rep. Anthony Moore, R-Clinton.

HB 1224 passed the House Public Health Committee on a 6-1 vote that broke along party lines with Republicans in support.