Gov. Little signs new “medical freedom” bill
BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) - As the Idaho Legislature closed Friday, Governor Brad Little signed into law a revised version of the highly criticized "medical freedom act," or Senate Bill 1210.
The law takes effect July 1, 2025.
The move comes after Little vetoed an earlier version of the bill due to concerns over how it would affect Idaho schools.
"Parents deserve to send their children to school or day care knowing they will be safe from contagious illnesses that disrupt families’ lives," Little said, explaining the veto, according to a report by the Idaho Capital Sun.
The revised bill includes additional guidelines for schools to prevent sick children from attending school and clarifies parental rights. However, the bill and previous versions were highly debated in the Idaho legislature.
The bill's sponsor, Senator Daniel D. Foreman, R-Mosocw, says the bill codifies an individual's right to decide medical issues for himself or herself.
"This legislation states that, unless required by federal law, no state, county, or local government entity or official in Idaho shall require any person to receive or use a medical intervention and the receipt of government benefits and services may not be predicated on the mandatory receipt or use of a medical intervention," said Foreman.
According to the bill's language, "medical intervention" is defined as "a medical procedure, treatment, device, drug injection, medication, or medical action taken to diagnose, prevent, or cure a disease or alter the health or biological function of a person."
However, critics of the bill and other versions of the so-called "medical freedom" bills have argued that the bill would prevent Idaho businesses and workplaces from refusing services or entrance to people who are sick. For more information on the debate, click HERE.
According to the bill's text, "a business entity doing business in the state of Idaho shall not refuse to provide any service, product, admission to a venue, or transportation to a person because that person has or has not received or used a medical intervention."
