State of Ohio Sued over Anti-LGBTQ “Conscience Clause”

metroweekly.com:

opposed the clause upon its adoption. Kelly O’Reilly, the president and CEO of the Ohio Association of Health Plans, explained that healthcare providers already have “protections” to allow them to not participate in medical practices that violate their moral standards under very specific circumstances.

To O’Reilly, there was no need for this clause; it was “a solution in search of a problem,” reports The Plain Dealer, a Cleveland-based newspaper.Defending his decision not to veto the budget until the provision was removed, Governor DeWine has stated that LGBTQ individuals denied by medical providers can simply go to “other medical professionals” who are more accepting.In a statement, Amy Gilbert, an attorney for the ACLU of Ohio called the clause “extremely broad and vague” and argued that it will only cause harm to LGBTQ people by placing additional burdens on them, such as having to vet and confirm the attitudes of providers on LGBTQ issues prior to seeking necessary care.“Religious freedom is not a license to discriminate,” she said. .