The Arkansas Senate approved the Medical Ethics and Diversity Act Thursday, which would allow medical providers, such as doctors and hospitals, to raise conscientious objections to treating certain people.

The act seeks to protect the conscience of the medical providers or institutions. Included in the institutions are employers and health plans, which could choose to not cover certain people. They would be able to raise moral, religious or philosophical objections to certain treatments. The objections would only be available for acts that are elective or non-emergency where the patient has the time to look for other medical providers. The act would further allow medical practitioners to bring civil suit if their objections are ignored and they are forced to perform acts they disagree with.

The bill has received heavy criticism from LGBTQ activists like Eric Reece of Human Rights Watch who said, “[it] is a blatantly discriminatory attempt to strip LGBTQ people of basic rights. Health care should be available to all who need it, not withheld by providers because of hate and fear.”

The bill must now be approved by Governor Asa Hutchinson who rejected a similar measure in 2017.