BOISE, Idaho — House Bill 59 passed in the Idaho House today, moving forward legislation that protects healthcare professionals from being compelled to perform certain medical procedures. The bill addresses treatments such as assisted suicide, genetic modification, and gender transition-related procedures.
Rep. Bruce Skaug (R-Nampa), who introduced the bill, noted that it builds on existing protections in Idaho law that shield providers from being compelled to perform abortions.
“It protects them from being forced to participate in non-emergency procedures that would violate their sincerely held religious, moral, and ethical beliefs,” Skaug said.
The legislation also includes whistleblower protections, ensuring that healthcare workers who report violations will not face retaliation.
“There’s a whistleblower protection here,” Skaug added. “It allows injunctive relief from the court to say the person cannot be forced to perform the objected practice.”
While the bill protects conscience rights, supporters emphasize that it does not permit discrimination against patients.
"No one can refuse treatment to someone because of the type of person they are for their beliefs. It’s about the practice that would violate their conscience," Skaug said.
I reached out to the Idaho Hospital Association to ask how this legislation impacts patient care. Toni Lawson, vice president of government relations, stated, “We appreciate the sponsor addressing some of the concerns that healthcare providers had, but what we have now are layers upon layers of what are sometimes complementary but other times contradictory to existing laws and regulations. At some point, we’re going to have to back the train up and coordinate all these state and federal regulations.”
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
