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Conscience Clause

Strengthening Families, Protecting Life and Promoting Health > Protecting Innocent Human Life > Conscience Clause
We believe that doctors, nurses, pharmacists, any employees of hospitals and insurance companies, health care organizations, medical and scientific research students, and any employee should be protected by Texas law if they conscientiously object to participate in practices that conflict with their moral or religious beliefs, including but not limited to abortion, the prescription for and dispensing of drugs with abortifacient potential, human cloning, embryonic stem cell research, eugenic screenings, euthanasia, assisted suicide, and the withdrawal of nutrition and hydration. We call on the Texas Legislature to pass legislation to strengthen and clarify the current conscience clause in the Occupational Code to include the above-mentioned persons and practices.
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Euthanasia and assisted suicide are silly here because they are not legal in Texas.

Existing law limits "withdrawal of nutrition and hydration" to circumstances that neither constitute suicide nor murder. There is no reason to "protect" a provider in the absence of moral unsoundness.

"Employees of hospitals and insurance companies, health care organizations, medical and scientific research students, and any employee should be protected by Texas law" is grossly over-broad and applies to people who have no hands-on role in morally unsound activities.

"human cloning, embryonic stem cell research, [and] eugenic screenings" are specialized fields. It is easy to decline to participate in these activities: don't work in these fields.

Furthermore, eugenic screenings are almost universally considered morally unsound. Since they are not commonplace, the best way to deal with these is direct bans, not a conscience clause.

Fault:

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