S.Amdt. 5562

SA 5562. Mr. LANKFORD submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 5499 submitted by Mr. Reed (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 7900, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2023 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle C of title VII, add the following:

SEC. 753. CONSCIENCE PROTECTIONS FOR MEMBERS OF ARMED FORCES WHO PROVIDE OR ASSIST WITH PROVISION OF HEALTH CARE.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall not take any adverse action against a member of the Armed Forces who provides or assists in the provision of health care for the Department of Defense (including as a behavioral, mental, or physical health professional) on the basis that such member declines to perform, assist, refer for, or otherwise participate in a particular medical procedure, counseling activity, or course of treatment because of a sincere religious belief or moral conviction of such member or because the particular medical procedure, counseling activity, or course of treatment would, in the professional medical judgment of such member, be harmful to the patient.

(b) No Impact on Care.--The Secretary shall ensure that no patient is unduly delayed in receiving any medically indicated care they are otherwise eligible to receive, including preventative, emergency, and routine care, because of compliance by the Secretary with subsection (a).

(c) Adverse Action Defined.--In this section, the term “adverse action” includes any adverse personnel action, discrimination, or denial of promotion, schooling, training, or assignment.