“If anyone should understand the ugliness of discrimination, it is our first African American president. . . My prayer is that he will wake up to what is really going on . . .”
-- From "'Right of conscience' move criticized" United Press International 4/8/09
The Bush administration rule, enacted the day before President Barack Obama took office, expanded the existing "right of conscience" law, under which doctors and other healthcare workers who didn't want to perform abortions could legally refuse to do so.
Under the new federal rule, any worker in a healthcare setting is free to refuse to provide services or information on topics ranging from contraception to vaccine counseling if they are morally opposed to the procedures, CNN reported Wednesday.
With a likely repeal of the rule by the Obama administration looming, Christian doctors argued Wednesday that rolling back the provision would be discriminatory, the broadcaster reported.
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From "Health Care Professionals: First Black President Should End Religious Discrimination" by Penny Starr, Senior Staff Writer CNSNews.com 4/9/09
Health care professionals on Wednesay urged President Barack Obama not to rescind the "conscience clause" -- the Health and Human Services (HHS) regulation that bars federally funded groups from discriminating against medical workers who, for moral reasons, refuse to perform medical procedures such as abortion and prescribing the "morning-after" pill.
Doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals wearing white coats and green scrubs spoke at the National Press Club on Wednesday [including Dr. David Stevens, CEO of the Christian Medical Association].
The event came one day before the end of the 30-day public comment period on the HHS regulation.
What is happening, Stevens and other health care professionals said, is an ongoing campaign to discriminate against doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other medical workers who oppose performing procedures or filling prescriptions for religious reasons. They said some conscientious objectors are not being admitted to medical schools and are being passed over for promotions.
The results of a nationwide poll by The Polling Company/Woman Trend of 800 adults, 18 or older, and 2,865 members of faith-based health care professional organizations also was unveiled at the press conference.
The poll found that 87 percent of the adults said they think health care professionals should not be forced to participate in procedures and practices that they morally oppose – a number that represents people across the political spectrum.
The survey of health care professionals showed nearly three quarters, or 74 percent, believed that elimination of the conscience regulation would result in fewer doctors practicing medicine, and 66 percent said it would decrease access to medical treatment to patients in low-income areas. The survey also found that 58 percent of those surveyed predicted a reduction in hospitals providing services.
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