Suzette Presti, spokesperson for the New Mexico Alliance for Life, said that the restoration of New Mexico's conscience protections through Senate Bill 347 is necessary, as current federal laws leave medical professionals vulnerable. This statement was made during a press conference on March 20.
"We grieve with and for other parents who love and lose their babies at the same exact stage of development due to natural causes," said Presti, according to YouTube. "Federal conscience protections are clearly not sufficient."
Senate Bill 347, titled the "Health Care Workers Conscience Protection Act," was introduced on February 11, 2025. It is currently under consideration by the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee. The bill aims to protect health care workers from criminal or professional penalties if they refuse to participate in abortion or related services due to conscience-based objections. Additionally, it mandates health care institutions to inform their staff about these protections and requires conspicuous posting of the act's provisions on their premises.
According to Psychiatry Online, more than 45 U.S. states have conscience laws allowing health care providers to refuse participation in abortions based on moral or religious objections. Over half of these states impose no restrictions on refusal rights, even in emergencies, and many offer civil immunity to providers. While some states require disclosures or referrals to ensure patient access, legal safeguards for patients harmed by refusals remain limited.
The Harvard Review reports that physicians in restrictive states face a challenging legal situation: complying with federal emergency care requirements may lead to criminal charges under state abortion bans. Legal scholar Mary Ziegler said that while "medical disobedience" could be morally and clinically justified, courts have historically been reluctant to excuse lawbreaking, especially when abortion is framed as a crime rather than a health service. Any defense of medical disobedience would require not only legal reform but also a cultural restoration of trust in medical expertise.
According to the New Mexico Alliance for Life, Presti is a licensed sonographer and spokesperson for New Mexico Alliance for Life, where she advocates for pro-life policies and fetal development education. Drawing on her clinical experience in prenatal imaging, she offers insight into the humanity of the unborn and the impact of abortion legislation.
