Posted on 12/20/2008 10:19:34 AM PST by wagglebee
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Bush administration has finalized the new rules that protect both medical professionals and medical staff who don’t want to be involved in abortions or abortion referrals. The Department of Health and Human Services released the final rule that will go into effect on January 20.
The new regulations are intended to clarify and enforce existing federal laws that protect the choices of health care providers who have moral objections to abortion.
The regulation clarifies and implements existing federal statutes enacted by Congress in 1973, 1996 and 2004.
The federal laws, which protect the conscience of medical officials and centers, have been violated and the new rules increase enforcement by having certain agencies put in writing that they will enforce the laws or be subject to losing federal funding.
Responding to the news, Deirdre McQuade, a representative of the nation’s Catholic bishops, said she welcomed the new Bush administration rules because they welcomed the published regulation as a way to protect medical personnel from being coerced to violate their consciences in federally funded programs.
“Individuals and institutions committed to healing should not be required to take the very human life that they are dedicated to protecting,” McQuade told LifeNews.com. “The enforcement of federal laws to protect their freedom of conscience is long overdue.”
“Catholic health care providers will especially welcome this mark of respect for the excellent life-affirming care they provide to all in need. But Catholics do not stand alone in opposition to the deliberate destruction of nascent human life. All health care providers should be free to serve their patients without violating their most deeply held moral and religious convictions in support of life,” McQuade said.
McQuade told LifeNews.com she’s concerned that the regulations are already coming under fire from incoming president Barack Obama and pro-abortion members of Congress.
“Respect for conscience rights on abortion should be a strong point of agreement among those considering themselves ‘pro-life’ and ‘pro-choice.’ Yet this regulation is already under attack,” she said.
Senators Hillary Clinton and Patty Murray have already filed a bill, S. 20, to invalidate the law and pro-abortion members of the House submitted a companion version.
Meanwhile, abortion advocacy groups like Planned Parenthood and NARAL may flout their "pro-choice" rhetoric and file suit against the anti-forced abortion policies.
Mary Jane Gallagher, president and chief executive of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, repeated the pro-abortion talking points on Monday by claiming the policy is related to birth control even though HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt removed language from it in August pertaining to birth control.
"It's totally a ruse. It's totally a new social war on birth control, which I find ludicrous," she said.
Leavitt explained the intent of the rule on the HHS web site and said it was about "the legal right medical practitioners have to practice according to their conscience, and patients should be able to choose a doctor who has beliefs like his or hers."
"Is the fear here that so many doctors will refuse that it will somehow make it difficult for a woman to get an abortion? That hasn't happened, but what if it did? Wouldn't that be an important and legitimate social statement?" he added.
Bush is not stupid here. It will take some time for the dimocrats to untangle this and make new laws. Chuckle....
Because they are actually worshipers of Satan and have a blood lust. This is meshed together with believing in population control at all cost. If they don't want to be hypocrites they should be the first to volunteer to annihilate themselves. But they probably think that they have to be here to make sure that there is mass annihilation of others. And of course because they think that THEY are the elite that should repopulate the earth they believe that only they and their progeny should survive. We the "unwashed masses" are merely trash to be disposed. According to Psalm 21 8-10 the opposite of their desires shall be fulfilled. http://www.conspiracyarchive.com/NWO/depopulation.htm
Why would someone morally opposed to elective abortion train in the procedure?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.