House Urges Koster to Protect Missourian’s Religious Liberties

The Missouri House took action this week to encourage Attorney General Chris Koster to act in the best interest of Missourians by protecting their religious freedoms and conscience rights pursuant to the First Amendment.  I filed House Concurrent Resolution 35 in the wake of the errant US District Court’s decision that sections of Senate Bill 749 – overwhelmingly passed by the General Assembly after being vetoed by the Governor – was unconstitutional.

What was SB 749?

Senate Bill 749 provided employers the protections needed after the Democrat Congress and the President moved to violate the rights of millions of Americans in requiring them to provide insurance coverage for anti-life forms of “healthcare” for their employees regardless of their religious objections.  Missouri employers shoulder much burden already in providing benefits in the form of health and dental insurance coverage for those who work for their businesses or organizations.  They have made it clear, however, that being forced to cover religiously-objectionable services was a step too far.

What’s Next?

HCR 35 will need further action from the Senate, and I am hopeful they will concur and go on record in support of advancing the cause of religious liberty and freedom in our state.  Business owners should not be forced to provide products to their employees that they find morally objectionable or that violate their religious beliefs.

Conscience Rights of Medical Service Providers

On Wednesday the House advanced legislation I sponsored to recognize and defend our individual freedom of conscience. Our conscience serves as an internal system of self-guidance—a private radar through which only the individual judges and discovers his or her truest thoughts and feelings. Therefore, the ability to abide by one’s conscience must be protected. This week my colleagues and I answered the call of thousands of workers in the medical field who do not want to be forced to perform or participate in procedures or research that infringe upon their beliefs.

 

HCS HB 457 will place in law a shield for medical professionals to exercise their conscience rights. It serves to protect them from participation in medical procedures or research that violates their religious, moral or ethical beliefs.  Major advances in the medical field and the looming encroachment of ObamaCare are forcing health care providers to face the daunting task of providing the best care possible while preserving their right to follow their beliefs that they hold sacred.

HCS HB 457 was Third Read and Passed with an overwhelming bi-partisan vote of 116-41 and now moves to the Senate.