Alabama Gov. Ivey signed HB95 letting providers refuse abortion, sterilization, cloning, and stem-cell services on conscience grounds

On April 27, 2017, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed HB95, the "Health Care Rights of Conscience Act," into law as Act 2017-189. Sponsored by Rep. Arnold Mooney, the bill passed the Alabama House 63-11 on March 16, 2017, and the Senate 24-7 on April 20, 2017. The law lets any health care provider — physicians, nurses, pharmacists, students, and other staff — refuse to participate in a "health care service" by filing a written conscience objection in advance.

The statute's definitions section, codified at Alabama Code § 22-21B-3, does not create a broad, facially neutral refusal right: it narrowly limits "health care service" to four specific procedures — abortion, sterilization, human cloning, and embryonic stem-cell research — all reproductive or sex-linked medical care. An emergency-care exception applies only when no alternate provider is available and a patient's life is immediately endangered, and the Act does not apply to abortion clinics licensed by the State Board of Health. By naming only these four services rather than permitting refusal of care generally, the law singles out patients seeking reproductive-linked procedures for a refusal right not extended to other medical care.