Oklahoma Senate Bill SB665

Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/3/25
• Refer: 2/4/25

Caption

Freedom of conscience; creating the Medical Ethics Defense Act; granting certain rights and protections to certain medical practitioners, healthcare institutions, or healthcare payers. Effective date.

Impact

If enacted, SB665 will significantly alter existing state laws by providing legal immunity to medical professionals who decline to perform services such as abortions that conflict with their beliefs. It will also prohibit discrimination against these practitioners on the basis of their conscience-based decisions, thereby affecting how healthcare institutions manage and employ medical staff. This legislative change could potentially lead to challenges in patient care access and issues of healthcare equity for individuals seeking services that may be refused due to moral objections.

Summary

Senate Bill 665, known as the Medical Ethics Defense Act, introduces a framework that grants certain rights and protections to medical practitioners, healthcare institutions, and payers based on their ethical, moral, or religious beliefs. The legislation aims to ensure that these entities can refuse to participate in medical procedures or services that conflict with their conscience. To this end, the bill outlines the definitions of conscience, disclosure, discrimination, and other key terms, establishing an environment where conscience-based objections can be raised without fear of retribution.

Contention

The bill has generated considerable discussion and contention regarding its potential ramifications on patient care and healthcare equity. Supporters argue that it protects the fundamental rights of healthcare providers to adhere to their ethical beliefs, while opponents express concerns that such a law could undermine patients' rights to receive full medical care. Moreover, the requirement for healthcare providers to opt-in for participating in procedures like abortion has been particularly contentious, as this could limit access to reproductive health services in the state.