The state House has voted to protect health care workers and insurers from being fired or sued for refusing to perform a procedure, fill a prescription or cover treatment for something they object to for moral, ethical or religious reasons.
The law would apply to doctors or nurses who decline to perform or assist with abortions and to pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions for morning-after pills.
The Republican-controlled House overwhelmingly approved the four-bill package as dozens of Catholics looked on from the balcony.
The Michigan Catholic Conference, which pushed for the bills, hosted a legislative day for Catholics on Wednesday at the state Capitol. The Catholic Church opposes abortion and birth control.
The bills now go the Senate, which also is controlled by Republicans.
The main bill in the package would create the Conscientious Objector Policy Act. It would allow +health+ care providers to assert an objection within 24 hours of when they receive notice of a procedure with which they do not agree. However, it would prohibit emergency treatment to be refused.
The House voted 69-35 to approve the bill. It mostly was along party lines with Republicans voting for it and Democrats against it.
However, a handful of Democrats voted for it, including Steve Bieda of Warren, Rich Brown of Bessemer, John Gleason of Flushing, Bill O'Neil of Allen Park, Joe Rivet of Bay City, Michael Sak of Grand Rapids, Dale Sheltrown of West Branch, Doug Spade of Adrian and Lisa Wojno of Warren. Republican Rep. John Stewart of Plymouth joined Democrats in voting against the bill.
The other three bills, which were approved by similar margins, would exempt a +health+ insurer or +health+ facility from providing or covering a +health+ care procedure that violated ethical, moral or religious principles reflected in their bylaws or mission statement.
The bill does not allow pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control.
Democratic Rep. Gretchen Whitmer of East Lansing failed to win enough support for an amendment to the main bill that would have prohibited +health+ care professionals from refusing to provide emergency contraception. It failed on a 34-68 vote.
Rep. Jack Minore, D-Flint, said the bill would prevent patients' +health+ care needs from being considered before anything else.
"I think it's a terrible slippery slope upon which we embark," he said before voting against the bill.
Republican Rep. Randy Richardville of Monroe, who introduced the main bill of the package, said the legislation is intended to protect religious, moral and ethical freedoms of +health+ care providers.
"Nothing in this bill, not a thing, denies a patient from receiving medical care," he said. "This simply means a medical professional cannot violate their religious obligations."
Paul A. Long, vice president for public policy for the Michigan Catholic Conference, said the bills promote the constitutional right to religious freedom.
"Individual and institutional +health+ care providers can and should maintain their mission and their services without compromising faith-based teaching," he said in a written statement.
Other opponents of the bills said they're worried they would allow providers to refuse service for any reason. For example, they said an emergency medical technicians could refuse to answer a call from the residence of gay couple because they don't approve of homosexuality.
Democratic Rep. Chris Kolb of Ann Arbor, the first openly gay legislator in Michigan, pointed out that while the legislation prohibits racial discrimination by +health+ care providers, it does not ban discrimination based on a person's sexual orientation.
"Are you telling me that a +health+ care provider can deny me medical treatment because of my sexual orientation? I hope not," he said.