The Federal Government’s proposed ‘religious freedom’ law would allow doctors to turn away transgender patients or single mothers on faith grounds alone, legal scholars claim.

In August, the government unveiled a draft of its Religious Discrimination Bill, promising to protect people who were being discriminated against for expressing their religious belief or activity.

Attorney-General Christian Porter said the laws were intended to support conscientious objection provisions in state and territory abortion and voluntary assisted dying laws.

It would also provide clarity to doctors and patients in cases where there were no conscientious objection provisions in existing laws, he said.