Missouri House Protects Pro-Life Doctors, Nurses Not Wanting to Assist Abortions

State   |   Joe Ortwerth   |   Feb 18, 2014   |   12:35PM   |   Jefferson City, MO

The Missouri House of Representatives has adopted legislation which would protect the conscience rights of doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals.

Legislators approved House Bill 1430, sponsored by House Speaker Tim Jones of Eureka by a vote of 112-38.  The decisive bipartisan margin of passage constitutes a veto-proof majority.   The Speaker’s bill would ban discrimination against licensed health care professionals who decline to participate in medical  procedures which violate their conscience.

“Employers shouldn’t be able to force employees to do things they have a moral objection to,” Jones said during debate on the House floor.

physician8b“This isn’t about limiting access to medical practices; it’s about limiting an employer’s ability to coerce an employee into doing something that violates their conscience.”

Medical procedures covered by the legislation include abortion, abortion-inducing drugs, abortifacients, human cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and fetal tissue research.

Adverse employment practices which would be prohibited under the law would include termination, suspension, demotion, reduction of wages or benefits, or other retaliatory actions.

Speaker Jones’ bill would also provide legal immunity for religious-based health care institutions who decline to perform procedures or provide drugs or devices which violate their religious doctrines.

This is the third year in a row that the Missouri House has given the health care conscience bill its overwhelming approval.  Now the bill moves to the Missouri Senate, where it has died the last two years without even being debated.

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We encourage you to contact your state senator to urge their support of the health care conscience bill.  You can do so by using this link:

Missouri Senate

Below is the vote cast by each of the House members on House Bill 1430.  You can let your legislator know how you feel about their vote by using this link:

Missouri House

State representatives voting FOR House Bill 1430:

Representatives Allen, Anders, Anderson, Austin, Bahr, Barnes, Bernskoetter, Berry, Black, Brattin, Brown, Burlison, Cierpiot, Conway (Pat), Conway (Kathie), Cookson, Cornejo, Cox, Crawford, Cross, Curtman, Davis, Diehl, Dohrman, Dugger, Elmer, Engler, Entlicher, Fitzpatrick, Fitzwater, Flanigan, Fraker, Franklin, Frederick, Gannon, Gatschenberger, Gosen, Grisamore, Guernsey, Haahr, Haefner, Hampton, Hansen, Harris, Higdon, Hinson, Hoskins, Hough, Houghton, Hurst, Johnson, Jones (Caleb), Jones (Tim), Justus, Keeney, Kelley (Mike), Koenig, Kolkmeyer, Korman, Lair, Lant, Lauer, Leara, Lichtenegger, Love, Lynch, Marshall, Mayfield, McCaherty, McGaugh, McKenna, Messenger, Miller, Moon, Morris, Muntzel, Neely, Neth, Parkinson, Pfautsch, Phillips, Pike, Pogue, Redmon, Rehder, Reiboldt, Remole, Rhoads, Richardson, Riddle, Roorda, Ross, Rowden, Rowland, Scharnhorst, Schatz, Schieber, Schieffer, Shull, Shumake, Solon, Sommer, Spencer, Stream, Swan, Thomson, Torpey, Walker, White, Wieland, Wilson, and Wood

State Representatives voting AGAINST HB 1430:

Butler, Carpenter, Colona, Curtis, Dunn, Ellinger, Ellington, Englund, Frame, Gardner, Hubbard, Hummel, Kirkton, LaFaver, May, McCann Beatty, McDonald, McNeil, Meredith, Mims, Mitten, Molendorp, Montecillo, Morgan, Newman, Nichols, Norr, Otto, Pace, Peters, Pierson, Rizzo, Runions, Schupp, Swearingen, Walton Gray, Webber, and Wright

State Representatives who were absent with leave:

Burns, English, Funderburk, Hicks, Hodges, Kelly (Chris), Kratky, McManus, Smith, and Zerr

LifeNews.com Note:  Joe Oertwerth writes for the Missouri Family Policy Council.