North Charlotte Today

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Thom Tillis, Marco Rubio (R-FL), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and J.D. Vance (R-OH) have recently unveiled the Protecting Conscience in Healthcare Act, a bill aimed at safeguarding health care facilities and professionals from being compelled to endorse political and social agendas that contradict their medical expertise and deeply-held religious beliefs.

The legislation prohibits government agencies and federally-funded health facilities, including hospitals and health clinics, from mandating employees to partake in activities that promote radical gender ideology.

Speaking about the bill, Senator Tillis emphasized, "This common-sense legislation protects health care facilities and professionals from being forced to advocate for political and social agendas that violate their medical judgements and strongly-held religious beliefs. This bill defends crucial medical and religious exemptions for hospitals, health clinics, and their employees so they can focus on patient care, not be required to advance radical political agendas."

Earlier this year, a report by the Washington Free Beacon highlighted the collaboration between more than 2,200 health systems in the United States and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). The HRC's Healthcare Equality Index, which assesses the inclusivity of hospitals, encourages healthcare systems to adopt "gender medicine" without taking into account essential safeguards for patient health that are implemented by systems worldwide.

In order to achieve a high score on the HRC's index, hospitals are required to conduct training that promotes radical gender ideology, display pro-LGBTQ symbols, mandate employees to use patients' preferred pronouns, and apply the same treatments for gender dysphoria as they do for other medical conditions. Conversely, the index penalizes hospitals that allow for religious and medical conscience exemptions, labeling these exemptions as "discriminatory treatment."

The full text of the Protecting Conscience in Healthcare Act can be accessed HERE.

For more information:

• Exposé on coordination between health systems and HRC
• Full text of the Protecting Conscience in Healthcare Act