Checkmarks below indicate the states that provide open-ended protections for health-care providers such that they can refuse to participate in any procedure for reasons of conscience. Since these laws are relatively rare, we include the names of the laws as well as the citation.
| State | Legal Provision | Statute(s) | URL | Statute(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | ✓ Health Care Rights of Conscience Act | §22-21B-4 | https://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/alison/CodeOfAlabama/1975/22-21b-4.htm | §22-21B-4 |
| Alaska | none | - | ||
| Arizona | none | - | ||
| Arkansas | ✓ Medical Ethics and Diversity Act | §17-80-504 | https://advance.lexis.com/api/document/collection/statutes-legislation/id/62B4-FC90-R03K-P2KJ-00008-00?cite=A.C.A.%20%C2%A7%2017-80-504&context=1000516 | §17-80-504 |
| California | none | - | ||
| Colorado | none | - | ||
| Connecticut | none | - | ||
| Delaware | none | - | ||
| Florida | ✓ Medical Ethics and Diversity Act | §381.00321 | http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0300-0399/0381/Sections/0381.00321.html | §381.00321 |
| Georgia | none | - | ||
| Hawaii | none | - | ||
| Idaho | none | - | ||
| Illinois | ✓ Health Care Right of Conscience Act | 745 ILCS 70/1 | https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=2082&ChapterID=58 | 745 ILCS 70/1 |
| Indiana | none | - | ||
| Iowa | none | - | ||
| Kansas | none | - | ||
| Kentucky | none | - | ||
| Louisiana | none | - | ||
| Maine | none | - | ||
| Maryland | none | - | ||
| Massachusetts | none | - | ||
| Michigan | none | - | ||
| Minnesota | none | - | ||
| Mississippi | ✓ Health Care Right of Conscience Act | §41-107-5, -7, -9, §41-41-215(5) | https://advance.lexis.com/api/document/collection/statutes-legislation/id/8P6B-83C2-D6RV-H09M-00008-00?cite=Miss.%20Code%20Ann.%20%C2%A7%2041-107-5&context=1000516 | §41-107-5, -7, -9, §41-41-215(5) |
| Missouri | none | - | ||
| Montana | ✓ Health Care Right of Conscience Act | 50-4-(1101-1107) | https://leg.mt.gov/bills/mca/title_0500/chapter_0040/part_0110/sections_index.html | 50-4-(1101-1107) |
| Nebraska | none | - | https://legiscan.com/NE/bill/LB810/2023 | - |
| Nevada | none | - | ||
| New Hampshire | none | - | ||
| New Jersey | none | - | ||
| New Mexico | ✓ Uniform Health-Care Decisions Act | 24-7A-7(E), -9A(4) | https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4384/index.do#!b/24-7A-7 | 24-7A-7(E), -9A(4) |
| New York | none | - | ||
| North Carolina | none | - | ||
| North Dakota | none | - | ||
| Ohio | ✓ Freedom to decline for conscience-based objections | §4743.10 | https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-4743.10 | §4743.10 |
| Oklahoma | none | - | ||
| Oregon | none | - | ||
| Pennsylvania | none | - | ||
| Rhode Island | none | - | ||
| South Carolina | ✓ Medical Ethics and Diversity Act | §44-139-30 | https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t44c139.php | §44-139-30 |
| South Dakota | none | - | ||
| Tennessee | none | - | ||
| Texas | none | - | ||
| Utah | none | - | ||
| Vermont | none | - | ||
| Virginia | none | - | ||
| Washington | ✓ Right of Conscience Act | §48.43.065(2)(a) | https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=48.43.065 | §48.43.065(2)(a) |
| West Virginia | none | - | ||
| Wisconsin | none | - | ||
| Wyoming | none | - |
Note on citations:
Where multiple laws are cited, the link is for the first listed. To find subsequent laws -or- in cases where a state's laws are not possible to link to directly, use the citation number to manually navigate to the statute of interest. For more precise information on citations as well as our reasoning behind each score, download the full data set which includes additional research notes.