Arkansas Senate Passes Bill Protecting Healthcare Professionals’ Rights of Conscience

Legislation, Rights of Conscience,
Sen. Kim Hammer (R – Benton) presents S.B. 289 from the floor of the Arkansas Senate on Wednesday, February 10, 2021.

On Wednesday the Arkansas Senate passed S.B. 289 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R – Benton) and Rep. Brandt Smith (R – Jonesboro).

This good bill protects healthcare workers’ rights of conscience.

Arkansas’ current conscience protections are narrowly focused on abortion, abortifacients, and end of life decisions, and they protect only a limited number of people.

S.B. 289 helps broaden these protections for all healthcare professionals.

No one should have to worry about facing retaliation or discrimination for obeying their conscientious convictions.

Rights-of-conscience is a long-established tradition that predates the U.S. Constitution. This right should not be ignored.

S.B. 289 now goes to the Arkansas House, where it likely will be assigned to the House Public Health Committee.

Below is a breakdown of the Arkansas Senate’s vote on S.B. 289.

Voted for S.B. 289

  • B. Ballinger
  • Beckham
  • Bledsoe
  • Caldwell
  • A. Clark
  • B. Davis
  • J. Dismang
  • L. Eads
  • J. English
  • Flippo
  • T. Garner
  • Gilmore
  • K. Hammer
  • Hester
  • Hickey
  • Hill
  • M. Johnson
  • B. Johnson
  • M. Pitsch
  • Rapert
  • Rice
  • B. Sample
  • G. Stubblefield
  • J. Sturch
  • D. Sullivan
  • Teague
  • D. Wallace

Voted Against S.B. 289

  • L. Chesterfield
  • Elliott
  • S. Flowers
  • K. Ingram
  • G. Leding
  • C. Tucker

Did Not Vote on S.B. 289

  • Irvin

Excused From the Vote

  • J. Hendren

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Planned Parenthood, ACLU Opposing Conscience Protections, Pro-Life Legislation in Arkansas

Abortion, Legislature, Rights of Conscience, , , , ,

Planned Parenthood and the ACLU are actively opposing two good pieces of legislation in Arkansas:

S.B. 289 by Sen. Kim Hammer (R – Benton) protecting healthcare professionals’ rights of conscience and S.B. 6 by Sen. Jason Rapert (R – Conway) prohibiting abortion except when the mother’s life is at risk.

Here is a little of what Planned Parenthood and the ACLU are telling people:

Here’s what S.B. 289 actually does:

S.B. 289 helps protect healthcare professionals’ rights of conscience.

Current law gives healthcare workers narrow protections for their rights of conscience.

S.B. 289 broadens these conscience protections for healthcare workers and ensures that healthcare professionals have equal conscience protections.

Arkansas’ healthcare payers currently have no specific conscience protections, and Arkansas law does not address discrimination or retaliation against medical professionals or companies who have conscientious objections to certain procedures. Current law also does not provide specific legal remedies for victims of discrimination or retaliation.

S.B. 289 simply helps address these problems.

Here’s what S.B. 6 actually does:

S.B. 6 prohibits abortion except in cases of medical emergency when the woman’s life is at risk.

The bill is similar to Arkansas’ abortion statutes prior to Roe v. Wade.

S.B. 6’s exception allowing abortion when the woman’s life is at risk tracks with Amendment 68 to the Arkansas Constitution, which says it is the policy of the State of Arkansas to protect the lives of unborn children and contains exceptions for abortions performed to save the life of the woman.

Passing S.B. 6 would give the courts an opportunity to reverse decades of pro-abortion decisions.

If enforced, S.B. 6 would save the lives of thousands of unborn children in Arkansas every year.

These are two really good bills that Planned Parenthood and the ACLU appear to be trying to stop in Arkansas.

Photo via Life Site News.

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Senate Public Health Committee Advances Bill to Protect Conscience

Legislature,
From Left: Family Council’s Luke McCoy joins Sen. Kim Hammer (R – Benton) and Alliance Defending Freedom’s Stephanie Nichols during presentation of S.B. 289 protecting healthcare workers’ rights of conscience.

On Monday the Senate Public Health Committee passed S.B. 289 by a unanimous voice vote.

This good bill by Sen. Kim Hammer (R – Benton) and Rep. Brandt Smith (R – Jonesboro) protects healthcare workers’ rights of conscience.

Arkansas’ current conscience protections are narrowly focused on abortion, abortifacients, and end of life decisions, and they protect only a limited number of people.

S.B. 289 helps broaden these protections for healthcare workers.

Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Stephanie Nichols traveled to Little Rock to testify in favor of the bill and outline some of the threats that rights of conscience currently face in Arkansas and across the United States.

No one should have to worry about facing retaliation or discrimination for obeying their conscientious convictions.

Rights-of-conscience is a long-established tradition that predates the U.S. Constitution. This right should not be ignored.

Arkansas’ healthcare payers currently have no specific conscience protections, and Arkansas law does not address discrimination or retaliation against medical professionals or companies who object to certain procedures. Current law also does not provide specific legal remedies for victims of discrimination or retaliation.

S.B. 289 helps address these problems. The bill now goes to the entire Arkansas Senate.

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