Conscientious Right to Refuse Act

Conscientious Right to Refuse Act – HB112

What is Conscientious Right to Refuse

Conscientious Right to Refuse (CR2R), Ohio House Bill 112, is proposed legislation to enact law via Ohio Revised Code to prohibit discrimination against an individual for the refusal of certain medical interventions for reasons of conscience, including religious convictions.

Conscientious Right to Refuse will accomplish the following:

• Prohibit discrimination of any kind for adults and emancipated minors who refuse any vaccine, pharmaceutical, biologic, facial covering (that is not being used for surgery purposes), or a medical device used to track or store medical, financial or information, due to a conscientious or religious objection.

• Prohibit refusal of medical care or transplant services to children whose parents decline vaccination for conscientious or religious objection.

• Allows for litigation if discrimination occurs.

What is the current status of Conscientious Right to Refuse

Conscientious Right to Refuse is currently waiting introduction in the Ohio House of Representatives 136th General Assembly by bill sponsors Representative Jennifer Gross and Representative Beth Lear.

The legislation is being Co-Sponsored by: Tim Barhorst, Adam C. Bird, Thaddeus J. Claggett, Gary Click, Rodney Creech, Levi Dean, Ron Ferguson, Tex Fischer, Sarah Fowler Arthur, Thomas Hall, Adam Holmes, Marilyn John, Mark Johnson, Angela N. King, Roy Klopfenstein, Brian Lorenz, Ty D. Mathews, Riordan T. McClain, Kevin D. Miller, Melanie Miller, Diane Mullins, Justin Pizzulli, Kevin Ritter, D. J. Swearingen, Michelle Teska, Bernard Willis, and Heidi Workman.

Current Conscientious Right to Refuse Call-to-Action

1) Submit our One-Click Advocacy Campaign form below to send Ohio lawmakers a message asking them to support the Conscientious Right to Refuse Act (CR2R).

2) To amplify your support, please consider also taking the next few minutes to call or email Ohio lawmakers (contact info at the bottom of this page) to support the Conscientious Right to Refuse Act (CR2R) by working with Representative Jennifer Gross and Representative Melanie Miller.

3) Donate to Ohio Advocates for Medical Freedom (OAMF) so we can continue fighting for the rights of Ohioans.

History of Conscientious Right to Refuse

Conscientious Right to Refuse (CR2R) was introduced by Representative Jennifer Gross and Representative Scott Wiggam as Ohio House Bill 319 in the 135th Ohio General Assembly.

The legislation was Co-Sponsored by: Tim Barhorst, Adam C. Bird, Thaddeus J. Claggett, Gary Click, Rodney Creech, Bill Dean, Jay Edwards, Ron Ferguson, Thomas Hall, Adam Holmes, Marilyn John, Darrell Kick, Angela N. King, Roy Klopfenstein, Beth Lear, P. Scott Lipps, Brian Lorenz, Mike Loychik, Riordan T. McClain, Derek Merrin, Kevin D. Miller, Melanie Miller, Jena Powell, Sharon A. Ray, Tracy M. Richardson, Jean Schmidt, Dick Stein, Reggie Stoltzfus, D. J. Swearingen, Bernard Willis, and Tom Young.

Ohio House Bill 319, Conscientious Right to Refuse, received FOUR opposition testimonies and SEVENTY EIGHT proponent testimony, including proponent testimony from other organizations like National Vaccine Information Center, Cleveland Right to Life, and Ohio Christian Alliance. The testimonies can be found on the Ohio House website.

Ohio House Bill 319, Conscientious Right to Refuse, was voted out of the Ohio House Health Provider Services Committee with an overwhelming 7-3 vote on December 11, 2024. The bill expired on December 31, 2024 and needs reintroduced for consideration by the 136th General Assembly.

Conscientious Right to Refuse was a new, completely re-written iteration of Ohio House Bill 248, which was introduced in the 134th General Assembly by Representative Jennifer Gross, and Co-Sponsored by: Thomas E. Brinkman Jr., Gary Click, Rodney Creech, Bill Dean, Jay Edwards, Ron Ferguson, Sarah Fowler Arthur, Kris Jordan, Mike Loychik, Riordan T. McClain, Derek Merrin, Reggie Stoltzfus, A. Nino Vitale, Scott Wiggam, Paul Zeltwanger. To date, HB248 received the most written proponent testimonies of any piece of legislation in Ohio history. Legislators received nearly a thousand written testimonies for HB248, multiple thousands of phone calls, and tens of thousands of emails in favor of the legislation.

Conscientious Right to Refuse in the Media

Ohio Capitol Journal – Ohio bill would limit the ability of employers… 📄

Dayton Daily News – Ohio House moves closer on bill… 📄

Ohio Press Network – Submit your testimony… 📄

Country News Online – Ohio House Health Committee Appointments spell trouble… 📄

One-Click Advocacy Campaign

Quickly and easily send Ohio lawmakers the below messages via our One-Click Campaign.

Message to Ohio Lawmakers:

Dear [Ohio lawmaker], I am writing to urge your support for Representative Jennifer Gross’ Conscientious Right to Refuse Act, which would protect Ohioans from discrimination based on their vaccine status. This critical legislation ensures that individuals can make informed, personal choices about their health without facing consequences that could limit their access to essential healthcare, employment, or other vital services. By supporting this bill, you would stand up for the rights of Ohioans to make decisions based on their deeply held religious or conscientious beliefs, promoting both health freedom and fairness for all citizens. I strongly encourage you to take action and support this important measure. Sincerely, [your name]

Click here to identify your elected officials: House / Senate

Ohio Republican Representatives Email Copy/Paste List:

rep12@ohiohouse.gov, rep17@ohiohouse.gov, rep29@ohiohouse.gov, rep30@ohiohouse.gov, rep31@ohiohouse.gov, rep32@ohiohouse.gov, rep35@ohiohouse.gov, rep36@ohiohouse.gov, rep37@ohiohouse.gov, rep39@ohiohouse.gov, rep40@ohiohouse.gov, rep44@ohiohouse.gov, rep45@ohiohouse.gov, rep46@ohiohouse.gov, rep47@ohiohouse.gov, rep48@ohiohouse.gov, rep49@ohiohouse.gov, rep50@ohiohouse.gov, rep51@ohiohouse.gov, rep52@ohiohouse.gov, rep54@ohiohouse.gov, rep55@ohiohouse.gov, rep56@ohiohouse.gov, rep57@ohiohouse.gov, rep59@ohiohouse.gov, rep60@ohiohouse.gov, rep61@ohiohouse.gov, rep62@ohiohouse.gov, rep63@ohiohouse.gov, rep64@ohiohouse.gov, rep65@ohiohouse.gov, rep66@ohiohouse.gov, rep67@ohiohouse.gov, rep68@ohiohouse.gov, rep69@ohiohouse.gov, rep70@ohiohouse.gov, rep71@ohiohouse.gov, rep72@ohiohouse.gov, rep73@ohiohouse.gov, rep74@ohiohouse.gov, rep75@ohiohouse.gov, rep76@ohiohouse.gov, rep77@ohiohouse.gov, rep78@ohiohouse.gov, rep79@ohiohouse.gov, rep80@ohiohouse.gov, rep81@ohiohouse.gov, rep82@ohiohouse.gov, rep83@ohiohouse.gov, rep84@ohiohouse.gov, rep85@ohiohouse.gov, rep86@ohiohouse.gov, rep87@ohiohouse.gov, rep88@ohiohouse.gov, rep89@ohiohouse.gov, rep90@ohiohouse.gov, rep91@ohiohouse.gov, rep92@ohiohouse.gov, rep93@ohiohouse.gov, rep94@ohiohouse.gov, rep95@ohiohouse.gov, rep96@ohiohouse.gov, rep97@ohiohouse.gov, rep98@ohiohouse.gov, rep99@ohiohouse.gov

Ohio Republican Senator Email Copy/Paste List:

McColley@ohiosenate.gov, Gavarone@ohiosenate.gov, Reynolds@ohiosenate.gov, Lang@ohiosenate.gov, Huffman@ohiosenate.gov, Wilson@ohiosenate.gov, Blessing@ohiosenate.gov, Koehler@ohiosenate.gov, Manchester@ohiosenate.gov, Manning@ohiosenate.gov, Johnson@ohiosenate.gov, Wilkin@ohiosenate.gov, Cirino@ohiosenate.gov, Brenner@ohiosenate.gov, Schaffer@ohiosenate.gov, Romanchuk@ohiosenate.gov, Patton@ohiosenate.gov, Reineke@ohiosenate.gov, Roegner@ohiosenate.gov, Timken@ohiosenate.gov, Chavez@ohiosenate.gov, Landis@ohiosenate.gov, OBrien@ohiosenate.gov, Cutrona@ohiosenate.gov

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