Gov. Butch Otter has allowed SB 1353 - the health care "conscience" bill - to become law without his signature. In a statement explaining why, he wrote, "Forcing healthcare professionals to provide services they find morally objectionable is unacceptable; however, negatively impacting patients' rights - especially when it comes to end-of-life decisions - is equally problematic. While I am comforted that SB  1353 provides for emergency care in life-threatening situations regardless of a provider's moral objection until another healthcare provider is found, we know this will be a small percentage of cases. Greater care must be taken to ensure decisions within living wills and powers of attorney concerning end-of-life treatment are honored without additional burdens on the patient or family."

Otter said despite his misgivings, he was willing to allow the bill to become law, but cautioned that if it becomes problematic, lawmakers should look at amending it. The bill, written by the anti-abortion group "Idaho Chooses Life," allows any licensed health care provider to refuse, on conscience grounds, to provide any treatment or medication related to abortion, emergency contraception, end-of-life care or stem-cell research. You can read Otter's full statement here.

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