Doctors can refuse to treat LGBTQ+ patients in several states – these religious exemption laws lead to drops in HIV testing

An increasing number of laws aim to roll back LGBTQ+ people’s ability to access health care, leading to cascading effects on their well-being.

By: Nathaniel M. Tran, University of Illinois Chicago and Periwinkle Seljord-Solberg, University of Illinois Chicago, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: April 10, 2026

Words: 980

Last Updated: 2 hours, 39 minutes ago

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By Nathaniel M. Tran, University of Illinois Chicago and Periwinkle Seljord-Solberg, University of Illinois Chicago

An increasing number of U.S. states have passed laws that allow health care providers – including doctors, nurses and pharmacists – to refuse to treat patients based on their personal or religious beliefs. While these conscientious objection laws have long existed for issues such as abortion, their effects on LGBTQ+ people have not been well studied.

As of April …

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