Petition to Protect Patient Rights — Support Ohio House Bill 12 (HB12)

Protect Patients’ Rights. Protect Medical Freedom. Protect Free Speech in Healthcare.

Ohio House Bill 12 protects patients’ rights to fill prescriptions written by their doctors without interference from pharmacists, hospitals, or nursing homes—except in cases of life-threatening contraindications or sincerely held moral objections.

HB12 bars refusals to dispense prescriptions based solely on so-called “scientific objections.” Pharmacists who raise concerns are required to document and discuss them with the prescribing physician and are shielded from lawsuits or professional penalties for doing so.

The bill also protects doctors who prescribe FDA-approved medications off-label to consenting patients, unless they act with gross negligence. Off-label prescribing is a long-standing and necessary part of medical practice, particularly for patients with limited treatment options.

Finally, HB12 safeguards free speech in healthcare by preventing licensing boards from punishing doctors or pharmacists simply for expressing medical opinions that differ from official or institutional positions.

We, the undersigned, support HB12 because:
• Patients—not institutions—should have the final say in their medical care when working with a licensed physician.
• FDA-approved medications should not be withheld from patients due to ideological or bureaucratic interference.
• Physicians and pharmacists must be free to discuss risks, benefits, and alternative treatments without fear of losing their licenses.
• Patients facing serious or chronic illness deserve the right to try treatments when they and their doctors agree it may help.
• Medical professionals should not be silenced for holding good-faith scientific or clinical opinions.