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This bill has passed the House and it is now on its way to the Senate. According to the wording below, taken from the bill itself, it would allow employees to refuse any job function that conflicts with any of their personal religious beliefs…up to and including refusal to perform certain medical procedures. Some concerns expressed about this bill include the possibility that it would allow discrimination based in religious views, such as discrimination against homosexuals, and that it would reduce access to contraception and other necessary reproductive care.
From the text of HB 279:
As HB 279 HCS 1 does not exclude any government entity, the language would apply to all local government offices, but may particularly have an effect on locally owned, operated, or financially supported health care facilities in which any employee may claim the right to refuse some health care function because of religious beliefs, including participating in vaccinations, obstetrics and gynecology, end of life care, certain types of disease fighting treatments, or the dispensing of certain pharmaceuticals, and on local jail facilities that may have to accommodate a prisoner’s beliefs as it relates to dietary needs, or scheduling around prayer times or other forms of worship. Also, any local government employee who provides any form of food service may need to be accommodated so that the employee does not have to interact with certain types of foods that may be restricted by that person’s religious beliefs.
The full text of the bill may be seen here: HB 279
More commentary and concern about the bill may be seen at the sites below.
Happy Darwin Day!
February 9, 2013 brought a very successful first ever Darwin Day Celebration with Louisville Atheists and Freethinkers, Reasonable Living, the Secular Student Alliance of UofL, Louisville Area Skeptics, and the brand-new Kentuckians for Science Education!
More at http://www.LouisvilleAtheists.com/wordpress/darwin-day-wrap-up/
Darwin Day Celebrations were also held on the UofL campus today, and the Humanist Forum of Central Kentucky will hold their Darwin Day Celebration 2013 event tomorrow.
The Commonwealth of Kentucky responds to the Supreme Court of the United States regarding American Atheists vs. Kentucky Homeland Security. Looks like this case may be going to the SCOTUS!
More at: http://kysecurity.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/ky-attorney-general-conway-responds/
Next Monday the 18th, University of Louisville biology professor Michael Perlin will be the guest speaker for the February Meetup of LAF with a presentation entitled Misuse of Biology in Film and Pop Culture.
For more details and to RSVP, go to Feb Meetup – Misuse of Biology in Film and Pop Culture – Dr. Michael Perlin.
Know other news and announcements around the Commonwealth that affect the secular community? Let us know!
The Kentucky Secular Society (KYSS) is a 501(c)3 organization that supports church-state separation; promotes proper science education in public schools; promotes atheism, agnosticism, humanism, and other forms of freethinking; and provides community building activities for secular citizens.
Donations to KYSS are tax deductible, and our Employee Identification Number (EIN) is 27-2311704.
During 2013, we will provide major financial assistance for the following activities:
1) State Fair Booth promoting atheism, agnosticism, and humanism
2) Kentucky Freethought Convention in Louisville similar to the one in Lexington in 2012
3) System for secular people to phone state representatives regarding bad legislation
4) Statewide secular speakers bureau
By paying $25 to the KYSS in December or January, we are better able to project what we can spend, and you can get a tax deduction. We need to be prepared for quick responses to bills promoting creationism and intelligent design. The new head of the Ky Senate Education Committee is Mike Wilson, a Christian radio station manager who openly supports creationism and intelligent design in public school science classes.
Want to help make our goals a reality? Join Online!
Exciting new updates are coming to the Kentucky Secular Society website! Please come back later to see how we are coming along.