Halfway to Conscience Protections Victory for Health Care Workers

By Doug Carlson - Sep 23, 2008 - 2 -

One month ago, pro-life physicians and health care providers were handed a huge victory protecting their right of conscience on abortion-related procedures under a proposed federal regulation. Yet opponents are mounting a campaign to scratch the proposal before the final ink is put to paper.

On Aug. 21, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued proposed regulations to enforce existing, though unimplemented and often violated, laws to protect health care workers from being discriminated against for refusing to participate in abortions or other medical procedures that would violate their religious convictions. Any hospital, nursing home, medical school, or doctor’s office failing to comply would be severed from federal funding.

If you agree, please register your support for the swift implementation of the HHS regulations to protect the right of conscience. You can do so by sending a simple one- or two-sentence email to consciencecomment@HHS.gov. Or go to Regulations.gov and enter the keywords “provider conscience” under the “comment or submission” link. Also, if you have been pressured to compromise your conscience in the medical field, please share that in your comments as well.

The issue should not be controversial. No person should be forced, particularly on the issue of ending an unborn human life, to violate his or her firmly held religious convictions. But pressure to toe the abortion line in order to remain in good professional standing is nothing new in the field of medicine, and it seems to be growing. The Christian Medical Association has found that 40 percent of its members have been pressured or discriminated against based on their pro-life convictions.

Evidence of conscience violations even comes from some of the highest ranks in the medical field. The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology recently adopted an ethics opinion that, if put in place, could give physicians the ultimatum of either referring to other providers for abortions, in violation of their conscience, or losing their board certification. Absent conscience-protection regulations, many pro-life physicians and health care providers will turn to other vocational fields where there is less likelihood that conscience and career will collide.

In light of such abuse and coercion, the HHS proposal is welcome news, but one hurdle toward finalization of the regulations remains. Like many proposed government regulations, a 30-day public comment period was put in place and will end just days from now, Sept. 25. Not surprisingly, liberal groups have been working overtime to rally their troops to send comments pressuring HHS to back off its proposal. The first part of their strategy has worked. A flood of responses from supporters of Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and other abortion promoters and providers has swept HHS. Comparatively, responses from conservatives have only trickled in.

At the end of the day on Sept. 25, HHS will review how much support and opposition their draft regulations have received. To allow the opposition to tilt the scales would send a message in itself—that most Americans are indifferent, or even opposed, to the HHS proposal. That could make it much more difficult for HHS to stick to its proposal.

If you agree, please register your support for the swift implementation of the HHS regulations to protect the right of conscience. You can do so by sending a simple one- or two-sentence email to consciencecomment@HHS.gov. Or go to Regulations.gov and enter the keywords “provider conscience” under the “comment or submission” link. Also, if you have been pressured to compromise your conscience in the medical field, please share that in your comments as well.

Additional Talking Points:

  • The Department of Health and Human Services should implement, without delay, regulations to protect the right of conscience for health care workers and providers who object to providing or referring for abortions or sterilization.
  • Many health care workers are unaware that current law provides conscience protections for them.
  • Regulations that have been enacted into public law over the course of more than 30 years—the Church Amendments, Coats Amendment, and Hyde/Weldon Amendment—should be implemented.
  • Regulations should include conscience protections for health care workers who choose not to dispense drugs that act as abortifacients, such as RU-486 and Plan B.

Further Learning

Learn more about: Faith, Life, Science, Bioethics

comments

1 On Sep 23rd, 2008, at 3:22pm, nick wrote:

No person, in or out of the medical profession, should be required to go against their conscience when life or death is involved.

2 On Sep 28th, 2008, at 8:12pm, Lori E wrote:

I am a nurse, and if I were forced to participate in abortions or assisted suicide, I would have to quit.  I chose this profession to help people live.

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