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Ohio will now allow medical providers to refuse treatment that violates their religious beliefs after conservatives snuck language into the state budget at the last minute. While supporters say the provision does not permit discrimination against marginalized populations, advocates believe that it will prevent LGBTQ+ people from recieving treatment for their particular health needs.
On Thursday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine approved language in the 2022-2023 budget permitting doctors, nurses, and other health practitioners to “decline to perform, participate in, or pay for any health care service which violates the practitioner’s, institution’s, or payer’s conscience.” The 2,400-page document primarily focused on areas like school funding and infrastructure until conservative lawmakers tacked on the proposal during debate in the State Senate.
That language came under fire from local and national LGBTQ+ organizations like the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which said that queer and trans people could be denied “care or coverage for basic, medically-necessary, and potentially life-saving… simply because of who they are.”
“With Ohio hospital and insurance associations standing against this dangerous measure, Governor DeWine is going against medical best practice...
