DeSantis' new law: Doctors can't deny treatment for unvaccinated patients but can refuse LGBTQ ones

[Nevilledog]

https://www.alternet.org/desantis-illegal-doctors-unvaccinated-lgbtq/

In Republican Governor Ron DeSantis‘ “Free State of Florida,” as of July 1 it will be illegal for physicians and other medical professionals to refuse to treat unvaccinated patients. It will be illegal to mandate vaccines. It will be illegal to mandate the wearing of masks. It will be illegal to require a “vaccine passport.”

But, also in Ron DeSantis’ “Free State of Florida,” it will be legal for a physician or other medical professional to refuse to treat a patient who is LGBTQ for a “specific health care service” if it violates their “conscience.” And legal for insurance companies to refuse to cover patients who are LGBTQ for a “specific health care service” again, if it violates their “conscience.”

“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ COVID-19 policies will now be enshrined in state law as the Governor signed bills that will make permanent bans on vaccine and mask mandates as well as give a shield to doctors who deviate from other medical professionals,” Florida Politics reports.

“It is the intent of the Legislature to provide the right of medical conscience for health care providers and payors to ensure they can care for patients in a manner consistent with their moral, ethical, and religious convictions,” reads SB 1580, one of several bills DeSantis signed into law Thursday. “Further, it is the intent of the Legislature that licensed health care providers and payors be free from threat of discrimination for providing conscience-based health care.”

*snip*

[MutantAndProud]

1. Go to hell Desantis

Where you will also be denied care for being a hateful Nazi

[Phoenix61]

2. I'll never have to treat another racist asshole again. nt

[ratchiweenie]

3. Florida is in real trouble being run by that sick _uck and his cronies.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

4. "the bill has gone largely unnoticed by Florida residents owing to the deluge of sweeping legislatio

The ACLU of Florida has described the measure as "shocking in its breadth, vagueness, and government overreach into the private sector and regulated businesses."

The group's senior policy counsel, Kara Gross, tells New Times it is "a brazen attempt to make it easier to discriminate against people" over the treatment they need. She warns that the bill would entitle employees across the healthcare spectrum to refuse to provide everything from medical billing to therapy to record-keeping.

"Who is to determine whether something is a sincere ethical belief?" Gross asks. "This opens up the door to tremendous discretionary refusals of healthcare and to discrimination in healthcare... and would be a public health disaster."

Gross envisions a cascading set of scenarios in which the bill's language could be used to deny essential medical services. She warns that it will disproportionately affect LGBTQ people, minorities, and other marginalized communities who could be denied service on a whim.

"So what if there's a healthcare provider that thinks that it's unethical to bring a child into the world given overpopulation and climate change? Can that healthcare provider refuse to provide prenatal care to the pregnant person? Under this bill, yes, they can. Can they refuse to assist in labor and delivery? Apparently, under this bill, they can if they have a moral or ethical opposition to it," Gross says.

Gross says the bill has gone largely unnoticed by Florida residents owing to the deluge of sweeping legislation pushed through the statehouse by Republican legislators supporting Gov. Ron DeSantis' agenda, such as the six-week abortion ban and expansion of bans on sexual-orientation lessons in school.

https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/florida-bill-would-create-right-to-deny-patients-treatment-on-religious-moral-grounds-16823343

[royable]

5. I'm sorry, Mr. Deplorable Mouth-Breathing MAGAT Racist Anti-Vaxxer, I can't treat you because...

...my religious convictions prevent me from treating gay people, and I and my conscience know that you're really gay, as much as you may vehemently deny it. As the state decrees, I MUST follow my conscience!

Next patient!

----

A possible line of defense?

[NCDem47]

6. Somebody...ANYBODY please, please bring suit.

[FloridaBlues]

7. As someone in healthcare this is beyond reason

Conscience-based healthcare. God forbid we have another pandemic that requires vaccines. This law didn’t make the local paper for the public to know what is happening.

[machoneman]

8. Crazytown. What's weird is that most of these anti-laws (as I call them) will not garner 1....

...additional vote for DeSatan. Only because his MAGAT base will vote for him anyway. Yet, he's driving away any and all R leaners who reluctantly voted for him the last time and every single Democrat, Independent, unaffiliated voter, pro-life men and women and more.

He must have total idiots advising him as somebody must realize these facts but are too afraid to confront him. Every single weird, made-up, false premised idea his wacko R's in the FL legislature dream up become law now. As a FL resident, I do follow all the major FL newspapers/medai on the 'Net and all have blasted these moves repeatedly. But his handlers, let alone DeSatan, have ignored all these warning signs.

Good for us I say as he stands no chance of being reelected as Gov. once his presidential ambitions go down in flames!

[RegulatedCapitalistD]

9. Dear smart Floridians

Abandon ship.....especially if you are not a Straight White Evangelical Christian....that is what this is about enshrining

The rest of America, take heed....this is what they want to do to this whole country. Florida is just their testing ground.

DeSantis is a wannabe Dictator...

This opens doors to even more draconian legislation.

[tanyev]

10. I predict an exodus of competent, ethical doctors.

And the ones that remain will be the ones no one should see. Good luck, Florida.

[ecstatic]

11. Tiny d and tfg are equally dangerous, imo.

We need to start acknowledging that. There's something even more malevolent about the way tiny d is conducting himself because there is no ignorant "clown" excuse to fall back on. I think he might be a high-functioning psychopath. Name another governor who is rolling out this many cruel, fascist laws and doubling/tripling down every step of the way. Okay, I guess abbott too, but abbott doesn't have a chance in hell of winning the presidency.