DeGette And Slaughter Reintroduce Legislation To Stop HHS Refusal Rule
WASHINGTON – U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO), Vice Chair of theCommittee on Energy and Commerce, and Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY),Chairwoman of the Committee on Rules, co-chairs of the CongressionalPro-Choice Caucus, were joined by a coalition of Members of Congresstoday to reintroduce legislation to stop the Bush Administration'slast-minute attempt to put ideology before science with the HHS"Refusal Rule." This rule would permit healthcare workers to refuse toperform or assist in any healthcare service they find morallyobjectionable, regardless of patients' healthcare rights and needs.
The Protecting Patients and Health Care Act would block the "RefusalRule" from taking effect. The rule was finalized by the BushAdministration on December 19, 2008 and is scheduled to go into effecton January 20, 2009.
"Even in its final days, the Bush Administration continues to pursueits extreme ideology over sound public health policies," said Rep.DeGette. "This dangerous and misguided rule would restrict access tovital health services and create chaos for health care providers. Welook forward to working with the Obama administration and with ourcolleagues in Congress on stopping this rule—whether by executive orCongressional action."
"Eight long years of trouncing on women's reproductive rights andplaying politics with science has obviously not been enough for thisAdministration," said Rep. Slaughter. "As its parting gift to womenacross the country, the Administration has pushed this midnightregulation through the approval process. This sweeping rule goes beyonda woman's right to choose, beyond a woman's right to contraception andputs every American's access to health care at risk."
Under current law, employers are already required to reasonablyaccommodate employee and applicant religious beliefs and practices. Incontrast, the Refusal Rule is written so broadly that it would allowany employee, volunteer, or trainee of a health care provider to refuseto perform or "assist in the performance" of any health care service toany individual if doing so would violate his or her religious beliefsor moral convictions—without any mention of the needs of the patient. The Bush Administration's own Equal Employment Opportunity Commissionopposed the rule, calling it "unnecessary for protection of employeesand applicants," "potentially confusing" to the health care community,and "a burden on covered employers, particularly small employers
U.S. Reps. DeGette and Slaughter have held a hard line against thisregulation beginning with a letter signed by 124 other Members ofCongress to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in lateSeptember opposing the Refusal Clause. DeGette and Slaughter firstintroduced legislation at the end of the 110th Congress to prohibit HHSfrom implementing the rule.
Click here to read U.S. Rep. DeGette's op-ed on this issue in the HuffingtonPost.