Soon, hospitals, nurses and doctors may be able to pick and choose who they treat based on their religious beliefs.
A new rule announced Thursday by the Trump administration will allow medical professionals to skip out on performing abortions, assisted suicides or gender reassignment surgeries in the name of religious freedom.
But many are arguing that's just legalized discrimination.
"The doctor came straight out and said to me he would not treat me. He would not even touch me because I was transgender," said Jacob Nash.
Nash is an Akron resident and a trans man. He knows first hand what it's like being refused treatment because of who he is.
"Luckily, the third doctor I went to, it wasn't even the second doctor, the third doctor that I saw said we need to find out what's going on and we need to fix it," he said.
The Department of Health and Human Services office of Civil Rights rolled out the new division they've dubbed "The Conscience and Religious Freedom Division." Through it, doctors, hospitals and nurses may all soon be able to deny treatment based on their religious beliefs.
Christians, in particular, would be able to opt out of performing abortions, assisted suicides or gender reassignment surgeries.
"The federal government and state governments have hounded religious hospitals and the men and women who staff them to provide for or refer for services that violate their consciences when they only wish to serve according to their religious beliefs," said HHS Secretary Eric Hargan during a press conference rolling out the new division Thursday.
"We want to make sure health and science is guiding the care that they receive, not religious beliefs," said Mike Brickner, Senior Policy Director with the ACLU of Ohio.
The national chapter of the ACLU has already pledged to challenge the administration's new office in court. ACLU officials claim the move would legalize discrimination in the name of a right already protected under the constitution.
"Freedom of religion is incredibly important in our country, it's one of our founding principles, but we also can't use our religious beliefs to take away someone else's liberty and someone else's rights," said Brickner.
For people like Nash, the wait is on to see who will treat him and who won't.
"It's more than I'm your patient, it's I need your help," he said.
It's unclear if hospitals in Northeast Ohio will enforce this decision.
