HB1983 Summary: Healthcare Freedom of Conscience Act

• Creates Chapter 3 of Arkansas Code Title 20 to protect healthcare providers, institutions, and payers from discrimination for declining services that violate their religious, moral, or ethical principles

• Covers a broad range of healthcare services including abortion, artificial birth control, artificial insemination, assisted reproduction, human cloning, euthanasia, stem-cell research, assisted suicide, and sterilization

• Defines protected individuals as healthcare providers (physicians, nurses, pharmacists, counselors, students, and others involved in healthcare) and protected entities as healthcare institutions and payers

• Prohibits discrimination, disqualification, coercion, or liability against those who decline to perform conscience-conflicting services, including harassment, demotion, salary reduction, transfer, termination, or license refusal

• Allows civil lawsuits for damages or injunctive relief by injured parties for violations of the act, with courts authorized to order injunctive relief