BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A House committee has approved a bill that lets health care professionals who are morally opposed to specific drugs or procedures to opt out of providing care.
The measure approved 13-5 by the House State Affairs Committee Thursday would enable nurses to step away from providing care they find objectionable or allow pharmacists to avoid dispensing medicine if it violates their conscience.
Idaho law already allows doctors to abstain from procedures that go against their beliefs.
Democrats who voted against the measure said it diminished the rights of vulnerable patients, like the elderly or women who are victims of rape or incest. Dissenters also said the legislation would make it harder for patients in rural areas with few providers to get care quickly if their regular nurse or pharmicist resists.
The full House will now take up the bill, which has been approved by the Senate.
