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From One News Now and ADF:
Sebelius gets earful re: conscience rules
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 2/16/2011 4:25:00 AM
Forty-six members of the House of Representatives have written to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about conscience rules for medical personnel.
HHS is expected soon to announce repeal of the conscience rules put in place during the George W. Bush administration to enforce existing laws that protect doctors, nurses, and pharmacists who decline to do things such as abortions based on religious and ethics beliefs.
Matt Bowman, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, applauds lawmakers' desire to see those laws enforced, not repealed.
"It's right for the members of the United States House to be concerned that the administration of the federal government would decide not to enforce those laws," says Bowman, "especially in light of the fact that the Alliance Defense Fund has represented already three clients in...the last year who have faith violations of these federal conscience laws."
Those clients include a New York City who was nurse instructed to participate in an abortion against her religious beliefs. The ADF attorney says those cases "are just the tip of the iceberg."
"If the federal government decides arbitrarily that it's no longer going to enforce the statutes that the American people have passed to protect conscience rights, then it will be open season on pro-life healthcare doctors, nurses, and institutions," he warns.
The conscience laws were enacted four decades ago, and the Bush regulations require HHS to enforce them as written.
Sebelius gets earful re: conscience rules
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 2/16/2011 4:25:00 AM
Forty-six members of the House of Representatives have written to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about conscience rules for medical personnel.
HHS is expected soon to announce repeal of the conscience rules put in place during the George W. Bush administration to enforce existing laws that protect doctors, nurses, and pharmacists who decline to do things such as abortions based on religious and ethics beliefs.
Matt Bowman, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, applauds lawmakers' desire to see those laws enforced, not repealed.
"It's right for the members of the United States House to be concerned that the administration of the federal government would decide not to enforce those laws," says Bowman, "especially in light of the fact that the Alliance Defense Fund has represented already three clients in...the last year who have faith violations of these federal conscience laws."
Those clients include a New York City who was nurse instructed to participate in an abortion against her religious beliefs. The ADF attorney says those cases "are just the tip of the iceberg."
"If the federal government decides arbitrarily that it's no longer going to enforce the statutes that the American people have passed to protect conscience rights, then it will be open season on pro-life healthcare doctors, nurses, and institutions," he warns.
The conscience laws were enacted four decades ago, and the Bush regulations require HHS to enforce them as written.
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