Weakening Conscience Protections
Posted by Rebecca Teti in News on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 3:00 PM
The Obama administration intends to rescind the Bush Administration’s regulation protecting the conscience rights of pro-life health care workers.
To be clear, federal law currently protects conscience rights and the proposed rule change won’t directly alter that.
However, the Bush rule intended to highlight the law and protect physicians and pharmacists from harassment and infringement of their rights. In a sense, it’s an anti-bullying, anti-discrimination rule.
Enacted last December, the conscience protection rule was drafted last summer after the certifying organizations for physicians moved to require doctors to perform or refer for abortions in order to be board certified.
The 30-day public comment period on the proposed rule change opened yesterday. If you’d like to take a stand on behalf of physicians’ and pharmacists’ right not to collaborate in procedures they find morally objectionable, the email address is: proposedrescission@hhs.gov .
Don’t write just anything, though. Specifically, the administration is asking that comments address the following:
“1. Information, including specific examples where feasible, addressing the scope and nature of the problems giving rise to the need for federal rulemaking and how the current rule would resolve those problems.
“2. Information, including specific examples where feasible, supporting or refuting allegations that the December 19, 2008 final rule reduces access to information and health care services, particularly by low- income women.
“3. Comment on whether the December 19, 2008 final rule provides sufficient clarity to minimize the potential for harm resulting from any ambiguity and confusion that may exist because of the rule; and
“4. Comment on whether the objectives of the December 19, 2008 final rule might also be accomplished through non-regulatory means, such as outreach and education.”
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