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Gov. Ron DeSantis Signs Bill Protecting Doctors, Nurses From Being Forced to Do Abortions
Life News ^ | May 11, 2023 | Steven Ertelt

Posted on 05/14/2023 12:38:08 PM PDT by Morgana

Governor Ron DeSantis has signed SB 1580, a bill that protects doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals and organizations from being forced to participate in health care services that violate their conscience:

Among other things, the bill would protect doctors, nurses and others who refuse to participate in killing babies in abortions.

The legislation provides that health care providers and health care payors have the right to opt out of participation in or payment for certain health care services on the basis of conscience-based objections. It would allow them to refuse to participate in abortions or other objectionable activities based on their moral, ethical or religious beliefs.

The legislation defined “conscience-based objection” as based on “a sincerely held religious, moral, or ethical belief” while, at the same time, protecting unfair discrimination against patients based on their race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

Importantly, it ensures that any state medical board or the Department of Health can’t take any actions against doctors or other medical professionals for refusing to do abortions.

A leading pro-life legal group applauded DeSantis for signing the legislation.

“Americans shouldn’t be forced to violate their ethical and religious beliefs, and this certainly includes doctors, nurses, and other medical providers. Thankfully, SB 1580 is a strong step in outlining comprehensive protections in Florida law for medical conscience and freedom of speech for medical providers,” Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Stephanie Nichols told LifeNews.

“The legislation ensures that medical professionals aren’t compelled to breach their oath to ‘do no harm’ by being required to participate in procedures or treatments that violate their conscience. Forcing doctors, nurses, and other medical providers to choose between their faith or their profession will drive many from the workforce and lead to fewer health care options for patients at a time when our nation’s health care system is overstretched and experiencing a dire shortage of providers,” Nichols explained.

She concluded: “We’re grateful to Gov. DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for protecting free speech rights for medical professionals and the right for them to live in accordance with their ethical and religious beliefs as they offer their much-needed services.”

The new law defines a health care provider as “any healthcare provider or facility licensed under a dozen different statutes, including doctors, nurses, pharmacies, hospitals, mental health providers, medical transport services, clinical lab personnel, nursing homes, and more.”

And the type of health services that can be refused are defined as “including, but not limited to, medical research, medical procedures, testing, diagnosis, referral, dispensing medications, therapy, recordkeeping, and ‘any other care or service.’ ”

Health care payors include “any employer, as well as any health insurer, health plan, HMO, or ‘any other entity that pays for, or arranges for payment of, any health care service.”

The law will go into effect on July 1.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: 0000000desantis2024; abortion; deepstateagent; desantis; desantisdoingthings; fl; florida; itsaneoconplot; prolife
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1 posted on 05/14/2023 12:38:08 PM PDT by Morgana
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To: Morgana; Joe Brower

BTTT!


2 posted on 05/14/2023 12:39:23 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (FBI out of Florida!)
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To: Morgana

DeSantis has had a continued string of legislative wins during his terms in office. Remarkable really.


3 posted on 05/14/2023 12:45:50 PM PDT by Reno89519 (Anybody But Trump - Tired of His Boorish Antics, Poor Hiring and Life Choices. We Can Do Better!)
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To: Morgana
This is being pushed as a "Kill Gays" bill.

With all the hysterical BS the trans-activists are so well known for.

(rolls eyes)

4 posted on 05/14/2023 12:56:04 PM PDT by ASOC (This space for rent)
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To: Morgana

Raising eyebrows because of the omission of euthanasia.

Bills were introduced in both their Senate and House this year, but were stopped in committee. FL contains the highest percentage of people over 65 (17.3%) in the US.

As has been seen with euthanasia elsewhere, it leads the pack as far as “mission creep” goes. Once doctors and nurses get a taste for homicide, it becomes their preferred means of “health care”, and human sacrifice becomes their genre.


5 posted on 05/14/2023 1:05:44 PM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy ("All he had was a handgun. Why did you think that was a threat?" --Rittenhouse Prosecutor)
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To: Morgana

Winning.


6 posted on 05/14/2023 1:36:56 PM PDT by Huskrrrr (Alinsky, you magnificent Bastard, I read your book!)
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy

“Raising eyebrows because of the omission of euthanasia.”

Euthanasia is illegal in FL.


7 posted on 05/14/2023 1:39:53 PM PDT by Roadrunner383
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Actual leadership. Thank you Ron!


8 posted on 05/14/2023 2:10:02 PM PDT by proust (All posts made under this handle are, for the intents and purposes of the author, considered satire.)
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To: Morgana

No one should be forced to commit murder of unborn Americans.


9 posted on 05/14/2023 2:10:03 PM PDT by chopperk
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To: Reno89519

Shows how a conservative/MAGA agenda can be implemented when your own people are not working against you.


10 posted on 05/14/2023 2:30:13 PM PDT by bigbob (Q)
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To: proust

Yes, thanks, Governor DeSantis!


11 posted on 05/14/2023 4:33:45 PM PDT by No name given (Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: chopperk

That is correct!


12 posted on 05/14/2023 4:33:58 PM PDT by No name given (Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: Morgana; JulieRNR21; Travis McGee; AAABEST; kinganamort; katherineisgreat; floriduh voter; ...
FReeper Reno89519 said, "DeSantis has had a continued string of legislative wins during his terms in office. Remarkable really."

Yes, it is. And those wins are also inspiring and emboldening similar moves in other states. The current federal government is so corrupt and so completely lawless, our only hope right now is to fight at the state level. It is a fight we must, and we will, win.

This man has no personality. Right. Uh-huh. None whatsoever. < /s>

Florida Freeper

I'm compiling a list of FReepers interested in Florida-related topics.
If you want to be added, please FReepMail me.

13 posted on 05/15/2023 4:54:50 AM PDT by Joe Brower ("Might we not live in a nobler dream than this?" -- John Ruskin)
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To: Morgana

Ron DeSantis would be nowhere without his top flight Republican legislature. Florida has two legislative bodies. They are always Republican controlled for 25 years, as far as know. Even when Florida elected Democrap governors.

Florida has its liberal counties, but it has loads of Republican and conservative and rural voters to keep the liberal Broward and Palm Beach populations/voters in check. Miami/Dade too.


14 posted on 05/15/2023 6:02:02 AM PDT by dennisw
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To: Roadrunner383

“Bills (legalizing euthanasia) were introduced in both their (Florida) Senate and House this year, but were stopped in committee.”

My point is that the leftist push for euthanasia will not be stopped by just a current lack of legislative support. As with so many other bad laws, the left will keep eroding the current law and lobbying for euthanasia.

Unless a law blanket law is on the books linking abortion, transgender surgery, and euthanasia, it will just take the Democrats winning a single election to turn the state around. But with a law on the books they must go through an extensive process to overturn or amend the law, which is much harder.


15 posted on 05/15/2023 6:56:03 AM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy ("All he had was a handgun. Why did you think that was a threat?" --Rittenhouse Prosecutor)
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To: Morgana

GEE Moe I wonder why he waited so long to do so OH WAIT elections coming up.

A chicken in every type of guy.


16 posted on 05/15/2023 9:36:15 AM PDT by Vaduz (....)
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To: dennisw

Trump had a Republican controlled bicameral legislature also


17 posted on 05/17/2023 9:24:04 PM PDT by DrewsMum
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To: Vaduz

Huh? This makes no sense.


18 posted on 05/17/2023 9:24:42 PM PDT by DrewsMum
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To: DrewsMum

A chicken in every pot type of guy.
*****

The democrats 1930’s promise for a vote


19 posted on 05/18/2023 7:19:13 AM PDT by Vaduz (....)
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To: Vaduz

Lol. This is LITERAL legislation he’s signing.

It’s fulfillment of campaign promises.

And yet that’s still not good enough.
Because it’s not about actual policy with you guys. It’s about ONE and only ONE personality.


20 posted on 05/19/2023 8:07:06 AM PDT by DrewsMum
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