The outgoing Bush administration is planning to announce a broad new “right of conscience” rule permitting medical facilities, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health-care workers to refuse to participate in any procedure they find morally objectionable, including abortion and possibly even artificial insemination and birth control. For more than 30 years, federal law has dictated that doctors and nurses may refuse to perform abortions. The new rule would go further by making clear that health-care workers may also refuse to provide information or advice to patients who might want an abortion. It seeks to also cover far more employees. For example, in addition to a surgeon and a nurse in an operating room, the rule would extend to “an employee whose task it is to clean the instruments,” the draft rule said. [… ] Abortion-rights advocates think it might be easier to get Democrats in Congress to reject the rule. Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., before being nominated for secretary of state Monday, and Patty Murray, D-Wash., have said they would move to reverse it.” [AP]
Sweeping ‘Right of Conscience’ Changes?
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Joe Moag
Wow. The stunning breadth of moral evil that is emboddied by the Hard Right can be mind-twisting at times…
This is a beautiful 11th hour “fuck you, America” offered by the Christian Conservatives. Amazing, they still think that like them, the rest of the country doesn’t read newspapers, or the internet, and therefore won’t catch wind of this and won’t use it remind the vast amounts of moderate and independent voters out there come election day in 2010 and 2012…
technicolornina
I normally object to comments like this, but.
FUCK YOU, BUSH!!!
Up the ass, sideways, with a 14″ dildo and no lube.
I take birth control for *medical reasons.* Kinda hard to get pregnant when you’re a lez. I’d like to see Bush and Co. deal with the problems I face every month, and then pass this piece of shit!
konrad
People morally opposed to abortion should have every right not to involve themselves in the procedure.
RCDC
konrad – that’s already true. this law means that in some parts of the country there will not only be no opportunities to have an abortion that won’t kill or sterilize you, but no way to even find out what such a procedure is or where it might be. not only that, but pharmacies and doctors no longer have to carry birth control. since schools no longer teach safe sex, and doctors can “morally object” to it, what’s going to happen to unwanted pregnancy rates, do you think?
the proposed law also has few limits. what if doctors had some other, wackier belief about moral turpitude? even worse, what about the staff who tangentially assists in the procedures? they can’t be fired for it. then what? it’s so much bigger than not performing a procedure.
RichardR
Terribly dangerous. Next step? if your “right of conscience” includes opposition to gay people, can you refuse to prescribe or provide anti-retrovirals?
It’s outrageous. If you don’t want to provide legal, appropriate medical services to anybody for whatever reason, leave the field.
Bush is doing everything he can to assure the everlasting gratitude of the fringe right, pro-business, anti-choice, anti-environment supporters who put him in office.
ellipse
Since when does the executive branch have the authority to make significant legislation as lame ducks? And what would prevent a new administration from simply reversing via the exact same executive fiat? Hmmmmmmmmm?
konrad
“…doctors no longer have to carry birth control.”
So? Less than 1% of doctors have any moral objection to birth control.
“…what if doctors had some other, wackier belief.”
Tell me why you are so anxious to be cared for by a wacky doctor?
This is a self-correcting problem.