NC Lawmakers Want Hospitals To Be Able To Turn Away Gay Patients

[one_voice]

Every day we hear about another state trying to enact legislation to allow citizens to discriminate against LGBT people.

Now it’s North Carolina’s turn, as the Legislature is considering House Bill 348, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was introduced on Tuesday. (An identical bill, SB 550 was introduced in the state Senate on Thursday.)

*snip*

If signed, the law would allow LGBT Carolinians to be turned away or fired by shops, restaurants, hotels, schools and even hospitals.

Pharmacists in the Tar Heel State could refuse to dispense contraceptives, infertility drugs, HIV treatments and transplant-rejection drugs—as all are incompatible with various religious denominations.

Nobody wants to see this,” said Chris Sgro of Equality NC. “You’ve got a handful of legislators that are pushing this on the state of North Carolina.”

Sgro says the people of his state “believe overwhelmingly in protections for LGBT and other people against discrimination,” but Rep. Paul “Skip” Stam (R-Wake), who sponsored the bill, disagrees.

“It’s the first freedom. It’s what a lot of people came to North Carolina for originally, was to have religious freedom, at that time from the Church of England,” Stam said.

He dismissed claims the law would be abused, saying, “If you had a person who believes in child sacrifice as part of their religious principals, we’re not going to allow that.”

Oh, well, that makes it okay.

Another pending measure, Senate Bill 2, would exempt magistrates and clerks from performing or assisting in same-sex marriages. It passed the NC Senate in February and is currently being discussed in a House committee.

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http://www.newnownext.com/north-carolina-lawmakers-want-hospitals-to-be-able-to-turn-away-gay-patients/03/2015/?utm=share_twitter

the ball of hate & discrimination rolls on...

[Behind the Aegis]

1. More states will follow, as will the distractions.

It is maddening and saddening. That's where my parents live, and it would get real ugly if someone failed to provide my husband or me the medical care we needed. My brother is a doctor there; I'll bet he is glad he is leaving. Thankfully, my grandmother, a nurse, would never allow this to happen in her presence either.

[betterdemsonly]

4. My sisters are flight attendents based in Charlotte

They are starting to balk at being transferred to these red states too. One of them may get transferred to the Texas theocracy of hate. Maybe that is why the ceos are becoming engaged. Maybe they are starting to have trouble recruiting workers to their tax havens in the South, particularly women and gay workers.

[Hoyt]

2. There are some really hateful people in US. I'd move to the hills, but most there are racist, gun

toting, uneducated ignoramuses. So, I'll stay in/near the cities and avoid the jerks as best I can.

[libdem4life]

3. To Hell (literally) with that silly Hippocratic Law...by bigoted Hypocrites.

[dembotoz]

5. setting themselves up for violence

if my loved one died because some clown refused care, vengeance would be an option i would consider.


just sayin

gas is still cheap

[jeff47]

6. They gotta get it passed before the blue overwhelms the red.

NC's imported so many northerners that the cities have become quite liberal. Meanwhile, the rural areas have been losing population.

They're running out of time to pass legislation like this. Gerrymandering bought them some more time, but that won't last forever.