Obama may rescind Bush rule that limits reproductive-health care
Friday, February 27, 2009 at 1:05 pm
- 6 Comments
(WDCpix.com)
Barack Obama’s administration signaled on Friday that it may rescind a policy of the Bush administration that allows health care providers to refuse care based on moral or religious convictions. The change has the potential to impact family-planning services, access to birth control, end-of-life issues and even gays and lesbians.
“We’ve been concerned that the way the Bush rule is written, it could make it harder for women to get the care they need. It is worded so vaguely that some have argued it could limit family-planning counseling and even potentially blood transfusions and end-of-life care,” an official with the Department of Health and Human Services told The Washington Post.
Minnesota’s reproductive-health organizations hailed the decision to rescind the rule. They’ve been worried that anti-abortion groups’ erroneous definition of abortion could cause religious objectors to refuse emergency contraception to rape victims.
“Our priority is ensuring that the tens of thousands of patients we see every year receive complete and accurate health information and services,” said Sarah Stoesz, president of Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota. “In these difficult economic times and with more than 45 million Americans currently uninsured, it is critical that we work to increase, not limit, access to health care. When a patient walks into a hospital, pharmacy or any health care center she should be confident she will receive complete and accurate health care information and services.”
The rule change will undergo a 30-day public comment period. The administration said it may or may not rescind the entire rule, but that as it stands the rule to too vague.
Follow Andy Birkey on Twitter6 Comments
Comment posted February 27, 2009 @ 2:01 pm
I find this a troubling law. It is a violation of separation of church and state.
Our doctors are under enough stress as it is without being forced to perform an Operation that violates their moral and religious beliefs.
We are losing general practition doctors at an alarming rate now the this would further complicate the issue.
Anyone needing an abortion should see a specialist anyway – so I am confused for the need of a “forced regulation”.
More laws and regulations are stifling our great country.
Comment posted February 27, 2009 @ 3:19 pm
Yeah … you women need the right to kill those baby’s. How about using a butcher on it? KILL!!! KILL!!! KILL!!! HA HA HA hahahahahahahahahahahahahah ,….. KILL!
Comment posted February 28, 2009 @ 12:24 am
I like Rachel Maddow’s idea of the “Amish bus driver rule”. You have a right to hold whatever religious beliefs you want, but if performing a job requires you to violate those beliefs, you can do it anyway or not take the job. Taking the job and not performing the work isn’t an option. Providing contraception is part of many medical workers’ jobs. If you refuse to give out contraception, change your profession.
Comment posted February 28, 2009 @ 9:27 am
I guess the headline ‘Obama may rescind rule that allows doctors to refuse to dismember annd murder unborn babies’ would be too truthful. So Obama doesn’t believe in individual rights, only the right of the government to order individuals whatever he decrees. . .
Trackback posted April 17, 2009 @ 3:52 pm
Obama may rescind Bush rule that limits reproductive-health care…
"Barack Obama’s administration signaled on Friday that it may rescind a policy of the Bush administration that allows health care providers to refuse care based on moral or religious convictions. The change has the potential to impact family-pla…
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