Fact Check: In May, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed legislation allowing healthcare professionals in the state to deny care to patients if it conflicts with the providers’ personal morals, ethics, or religious beliefs.

Fact Check: Tennessee's Healthcare Providers Can Deny Care Based on Personal Beliefs

What We Know

In May 2025, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed into law the Medical Ethics Defense Act, which allows healthcare professionals, including doctors and nurses, to refuse care that conflicts with their personal morals, ethics, or religious beliefs. This legislation enables healthcare providers to deny specific medical treatments or procedures based on their conscience, without the obligation to inform patients of such refusals (source-1, source-3).

The law has drawn significant attention and criticism, particularly from LGBTQ advocacy groups and healthcare professionals, who argue that it could lead to discrimination against vulnerable populations, including those seeking reproductive health services and HIV prevention (source-4, source-7).

Analysis

The Medical Ethics Defense Act was supported by various advocacy groups, including the Alliance Defending Freedom, which has been labeled as an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (source-4). Proponents of the law argue that it protects the rights of healthcare providers to practice according to their ethical beliefs. However, critics warn that the law could effectively enable discrimination, particularly against patients seeking care related to reproductive health and LGBTQ services (source-2, source-6).

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Bryan Terry, has stated that the legislation does not allow for discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin. However, concerns have been raised regarding the potential for implicit bias and discrimination against marginalized groups, as the law does not require providers to disclose their refusal to provide care (source-4, source-8).

Conclusion

The claim that Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed legislation allowing healthcare professionals to deny care based on personal morals, ethics, or religious beliefs is True. The Medical Ethics Defense Act explicitly permits such refusals, raising significant concerns about potential discrimination against patients, particularly those from marginalized communities.

Sources

1. TN healthcare providers can deny care that conflicts with ...
2. Tennessee passes law allowing doctors to deny care if it ...
3. Bill passes letting TN physicians deny patients based on ...
4. Tennessee joins multi-state effort to deny medical ...
5. Healthcare providers can deny care that conflicts with ...
6. Tennessee law protects conscience rights for healthcare ...
7. Tennessee Lets Doctors Deny Treatment on Moral Grounds
8. Healthcare providers can now say 'No', Gov. Bill Lee signs ...