COLUMBUS, Ohio — A lawsuit has been filed targeting legal protections granted to healthcare providers in Ohio that allows them to deny treatment that they oppose on the basis of their conscience or religious beliefs.
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein on Wednesday sued the state over the measure known as the “conscience clause.”
According to the law, a medical provider can be “excused from participating” whenever a treatment conflicts with a provider's “moral, ethical, or religious beliefs or convictions.”
Opponents of the law say it could limit abortions or other medical care. The city also argues the measure violates Ohio's Constitution and the federal Affordable Care Act.
Nurses employed by the city opposed to a medical procedure, “they can refuse it and we as a city can’t do anything about it,” Klein told The Columbus Dispatch. He also said insurance companies could refuse to pay for certain procedures, and “that obviously causes significant problems for our employees.”
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine kept the language of the law in place when he signed the 2021 budget. DeWine said the provision merely sets into state law what’s already being practiced.
Statement from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost
"It is amazing how little rights of conscience matter to those without one. This law was thoroughly vetted, is grounded in historical constitutional bedrock and passed by the elected representatives of the people of Ohio through the normal legislative process.
"This lawsuit is meritless, anti-democracy and authoritarian. The law will be vigorously – and I believe successfully – defended in court."
