DeSantis Wants It To Be Legal For Doctors To Discriminate Against LGBTQIA+ People
Florida’s proposed HB1403 bill has sparked outrage as it would allow doctors and insurance companies to refuse medical care based on their “conscience”. The bill provides legal protection for healthcare providers who object to providing treatment on religious, moral or ethical grounds. It does not require them to refer patients to another doctor, and critics fear it could be weaponised against LGBTQIA+ individuals, particularly trans youth.
The bill has been met with strong opposition from Democratic leader, Fentrice Driskell, who branded it dangerous and discriminatory. Driskell argued that the bill would allow healthcare providers to deny medical care based on personal opinions, and could be abused to deny other medical procedures, including contraception and abortion. The bill has already been approved by members of the Florida House Health and Human Services Committee and will now be considered by the full house.
Anti-LGBTQ+ Measures In Florida
Florida has recently been at the centre of a series of anti-LGBTQIA+ measures. In addition to HB1403, a ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth was passed, while a ban on public drag performances is currently being considered. These measures come one year after the state’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay” law was passed, which prohibits discussion of LGBTQ+ identities in most classrooms.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has strongly condemned the bill, calling it a cruel effort to stigmatise, marginalise, and erase the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly trans youth. According to the HRC, over 470 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills are currently being advanced across the US, with over 190 specifically targeting transgender individuals.
Emergency medical treatment excluded
However, the bill includes an amendment that specifies that it does not apply to emergency medical treatment. Nonetheless, concerns remain that it could lead to discrimination and create barriers to healthcare access for LGBTQIA+ individuals. The bill has faced significant backlash from LGBTQIA+ rights activists and healthcare providers who believe that healthcare should be accessible to all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Florida Travel Advisory Warning To LGBTQIA+ People
Equality Florida, an LGBTQ+ rights group, has issued a travel advisory warning of the risks posed to the health, safety, and freedom of those considering short or long-term travel or relocation to the state. The move comes in response to a wave of safety inquiries Equality Florida has received following the passage of laws that are hostile to the LGBTQIA+ community, restrict access to reproductive health care, repeal gun safety laws, foment racial prejudice, and attack public education by banning books and censoring curriculum.
Executive Director of Equality Florida, Nadine Smith, said: “While losing conferences and top students who have written off Florida threatens lasting damage to our state, it is most heartbreaking to hear from parents who are selling their homes and moving because school censorship, book bans, and healthcare restrictions have made their home state less safe for their children.” Smith added, “whether you stay away, leave or remain we ask that you join us in countering these relentless attacks. Help reimagine and build a Florida that is truly safe for and open to all, and where freedom is a reality, not a hollow campaign slogan.”
The advisory comes in the wake of the recent passing of the HB1403 bill, which would give doctors and insurance companies the right to deny care to LGBTQ+ people based on “conscience-based objections.”
The proposed policies detailed in the advisory have already led Florida parents to consider relocating, prospective students to cross Florida colleges and universities off their lists, events and conferences to cancel future gatherings, and the United States military to offer redeployment for service members whose families are now unsafe in the state. Businesses have spoken out against the governor’s abuse of state power to punish dissent, with Disney CEO Bob Iger calling, Governor Ron DeSantis “anti-business and anti-Florida.”
The advisory has also led to the proposal of policies around the country to provide refuge for those fleeing states like Florida. The Florida Immigrant Coalition, a statewide immigrant rights coalition of 65 member organisations and over 100 allies, also issued a travel advisory urging reconsideration of travel to Florida and providing critical information about where immigrant travellers can learn more about their constitutional rights.
