Medical Ethics Defense Act.

HB 115, the Medical Ethics Defense Act, allows healthcare providers (including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists), healthcare institutions (like hospitals), and healthcare payers (such as insurance companies) to refuse participation in or payment for specific medical services based on their ethical, moral, or religious beliefs. The bill requires written consent before a provider performs an abortion and prohibits discrimination against providers who decline services for conscience reasons, while protecting religious organizations’ rights to make decisions aligned with their faith. It explicitly states these rights do not override duties to provide emergency care or other services not conflicting with their beliefs. The law also prevents adverse licensing actions or discrimination for exercising these conscience-based decisions.