Associated Press: Obama to Rescind Bush Abortion Rule
Obama to Rescind Bush Abortion Rule
Friday, February 27, 2009
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama wants to rescind a Bushadministration rule that strengthened job protections for doctors andnurses who refuse for moral reasons to perform abortions
Obama to Rescind Bush Abortion Rule
Friday, February 27, 2009
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama wants to rescind a Bushadministration rule that strengthened job protections for doctors andnurses who refuse for moral reasons to perform abortions.
AU.S. Health and Human Services official said Friday the administrationwill publish notice of its intentions early next week, opening a 30-daycomment period for medical groups and the public. The official spoke oncondition of anonymity because the notice has not been completed.
The Bush administration instituted the rule in its last days, and itwas quickly challenged in federal court by several states and medicalorganizations. As a candidate, President Barack Obama criticized theregulation and campaign aides promised that if elected, he would reviewit.
Abortion is one of the most divisive issues in Americanpublic life. Democrats tend to favor abortion rights while Republicanstend to oppose abortion.
The news that Obama was reviewing therule drew praise from abortion-rights supporters and condemnation fromgroups opposed to abortion.
"It would be a horrible move.These regulations were a long time coming," said Tom McClusky, a vicepresident at Family Research Council. "What they seek to do is protectpatients, nurses, doctors and other health care professionals frombeing forced to violate their consciences."
McClusky and otherabortion opponents said the Bush regulation clarified federal policiesand raised awareness about the rights of medical providers to followtheir consciences. But abortion rights advocates said it was vague andoverly broad, and could reduce access to other services -- allowing adrug store clerk to refuse to sell birth control pills, for example.
"I think it's a wonderful step," Rep. Diana DeGette, a Democrat whoco-chairs the Congressional Pro-choice Caucus and has introducedlegislation to overturn the regulation, said of Obama's move.
"That rule was actually a poorly drafted last-minute attempt to, Ithink, restrict health care access and I think it would have hadfar-reaching and unintended consequences."
Federal law haslong forbidden discrimination against health care professionals whorefuse to perform abortions or provide referrals for them on religiousor moral grounds. The Obama administration supports those laws, saidthe HHS official.
The Bush administration's rule adds arequirement that institutions that get federal money certify theircompliance with laws protecting the rights of moral objectors. It wasintended to block the flow of federal funds to hospitals and otherinstitutions that ignore those rights.
But the Obamaadministration was concerned that the Bush regulation could also beused to refuse birth control, family planning services and counselingfor vaccines and transfusions.
"The administration supports atightly written conscience clause," said the HHS official. "While weare concerned about the Bush rule, we also understand there might be aneed to clarify existing laws."
The administration will reviewcomments from the public before making a final decision. Options rangefrom repealing the regulation to writing a new one with a narrowerscope.
The administration's move was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.