Pennsylvania Conscientious Objection Act (SB 24)

This law was last updated on Mar 31, 2017

State

Pennsylvania

Number

SB 24

Status

Proposed

Jan 12, 2017

Topics

Conscience and Refusal Clauses, Human Embryo and Fetal Research, Religious Freedom

Full Bill Text

www.legis.state.pa.us

SB 24 would allow health-care professionals and institutions to refuse to participate in health-care services that violate their conscience, and would immunize health-care professionals and institutions from civil and criminal liability based on their refusal to provide prescriptions or participate in health-care services that violate their conscience.

The bill defines health-care service to include any of the following:

abortion;
artificial birth control;
artificial insemination;
assisted reproduction;
emergency contraception;
human cloning;
human embryonic stem-cell research;
fetal experimentation; and
sterilization.

The bill would also prevent any kind of discrimination against health-care professionals or institutions who refuse to participate in health-care services that violate their conscience.

Related Legislation

Similar to SB 292, HB 383, and SB 276, all of which failed to pass in previous legislative sessions.