SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois House could vote on a change to the Health Care Right of Conscience Act before session ends. Some people across the state found the law as a reason to get out of COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements for work.
Gov. JB Pritzker told reporters Wednesday that the law was never meant to be used during a pandemic.
In fact, Illinois leaders initially put this law in place for medical providers who decide to not perform certain procedures if it is against their conscience.
Pritzker says that’s completely different from someone refusing a COVID-19 test before they walk into a school. The legislation has nothing to do with the public.
He argues people continue to misinterpret the law in order to use it in lawsuits against his administration.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul told Pritzker they should adjust the law in order to avoid those constant legal battles.
“Just yelling out conscience and saying, ‘I don’t want to do it,’ isn’t good enough. We have to keep people healthy and safe,” Pritzker said. “That’s the whole purpose of the mitigations that we’ve put in place.”
The governor says this is a minor adjustment to the law that only addresses COVID-19.
House Democrats also filed a new amendment to their proposal Wednesday. It deletes their original language that said employers could terminate workers who refuse vaccines or tests.
That may be a move to get more support from moderate Democrats before the bill goes for a vote.
The post Pritzker hopes lawmakers approve tweak to Health Care Right of Conscience Act appeared first on WEEK.
Feeds,News,City: Peoria,Central
via WEEK https://week.com
October 27, 2021 at 07:32PM
Illinois Delivered 