Conservative activists have long warned that religious doctors could be forced to perform transgender surgeries and abortions if the Equity Act becomes the law of the land. The fact that President Biden nominated far-left, virulent pro-choice activist Xavier Becerra to lead the Health and Human Services Department shows the administration has no qualms with such an approach.
Ohio has taken a preemptive stand against what would be an unconscionable infringement on First Amendment rights by passing the Medical Ethics and Diversity (MED) Act. The law gives doctors the right to refuse to perform practices that go against their “moral, ethical, or religious beliefs or principles.” It also allows insurance companies to create custom insurance plans for religious organizations that are in line with the organization’s beliefs.
As Ohio Governor Mike DeWine rightly noted, it’s not a problem for individuals to find medical professionals and organizations in the state that are willing to perform controversial procedures even if religious doctors and nurses refuse to provide certain treatments. Sadly, LGBTQ activists have never had a problem targeting religious individuals and businesses, knowing they would be refused service and would subsequently have grounds to sue.
Christian florists, bakers, and photographers have long been targeted by activist couples for refusing to offer services for same-sex weddings, even though there are plenty of other professionals that will do it. The city of Philadelphia recently targeted a Catholic foster care agency that refused to serve unmarried or gay couples, resulting in the case going up to the Supreme Court. The ruling made it clear that the city was wrong to try to force a religious agency to go against its beliefs. Gay and unmarried couples had plenty of other places to go if they want to foster or adopt children.
Without legal protection, medical professionals could be sued by just about anyone. This includes irrational parents that want their children put on gender-bending medication or young women who want a hysterectomy without understanding the life-altering consequences.
The MED Act is a much-needed bill that makes it clear that medical professionals should never be forced to perform services that go against their beliefs. It’s the perfect answer to the “Equity Act” the Biden Administration is pushing. Ensuring medical professionals have the same religious freedoms and rights as the rest of the population is not discrimination — but rather par for the course in a free nation.
