SB72 would have established the Health Care Heroes Recruitment and Retention Act, protecting Kentucky healthcare professionals and institutions who refuse to perform or participate in medical procedures that violate their religious, moral, or ethical beliefs. The bill would have prohibited employers, hospitals, and licensing authorities from discriminating against or disciplining healthcare workers for exercising these rights. It also would have protected workers from certain legal liabilities and allowed individuals to file lawsuits against employers or licensing authorities that violated their right to conscience. Federal requirements concerning emergency medical treatment and evidence collection would have remained in effect.
The Kentucky State Senate passed SB72 on February 13, 2026 by a vote of 28 to 5. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because no healthcare professional should be forced to participate in medical procedures that violate his or her deeply held religious, moral, or ethical convictions. The freedom of religion and conscience is a fundamental, God-given right protected by the First, Ninth, and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Requiring healthcare workers to choose between violating their conscience and losing their livelihoods infringes upon individual liberty and religious freedom. By protecting healthcare professionals who exercise their right to conscience, SB72 would have helped safeguard these fundamental liberties against government coercion.
