The law, officially called the “Firearms Owners’ Privacy Act,” was passed in 2011 after a pediatrician refused to treat a patient whose mother would not answer questions about gun ownership, according to the report. It barred physicians from asking patients about gun ownership and from entering information about gun ownership into EHRs if it was not pertinent to patient care or safety, according to the report.
Physicians argued the measure was a violation of their First Amendment rights and a federal district judge blocked implementation of the law. This ban on the law was upheld despite three rulings in favor of the measure’s constitutionality from a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, according to the report.
A full appellate court struck down major provisions of the law in February and officials did not appeal the ruling by the May deadline, according to the report. This means Florida physicians can still discuss gun ownership and safety with patients. The surviving provision of the law bars healthcare providers from discriminating against patients based on gun ownership, according to the report.
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