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Her.meneutics is edited by associate editor Katelyn Beaty and online editor Sarah Pulliam Bailey.

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April 9, 2009

Christians Urge Obama to Keep Conscience Clause

Today is the last day for arguments supporting medical workers' right to refuse to provide care that violates their conscience.

Katelyn Beaty

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Several media are reporting that today's the last day the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will hear arguments against President Obama's intention to rescind the "conscience clause" regulation that former President Bush put into place weeks before leaving office. The clause aims to protect the rights of health-care workers to refuse to provide care they find morally objectionable - especially abortion and the morning-after pill. It also stops federal funding to medical facilities that do not accommodate their workers' convictions.

Among those speaking up are evangelicals who belong to Obama's own faith advisory group: Joel Hunter, pastor of Northland Church in Florida, Melissa Rogers, director of Wake Forest Divinity School's Center for Religion and Public Affairs, and Jim Wallis of Sojourners. According to Michelle Boorstein over at The Washington Post's God in Government blog, these three were part of a group who signed a document calling for the Obama administration to "reaffirm its commitment to decades-old federal laws meant to offer some ?conscience' protections," and to indicate what Obama plans to replace the clause with, if anything. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention and Catholic law professor Doug Kmiec also signed the document.

The Christian Medical Association and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are among those also urging Obama to rethink his intent to repeal the conscience clause. According to Julia Duin of The Washington Times, David Stevens, president of the 15,000-member, pro-life Christian Medical Association, warned yesterday in a Washington news conference: "In some states, pharmacists must dispense certain medications or lose their licenses. . . . Students are denied admission to medical schools or residency programs because they are not in favor of abortion. Doctors and nurses are losing their job or a promotion because of their beliefs."

Stevens also warned of the many Catholic-affiliated hospitals in the U.S. that may close their facilities all together rather than follow government regulations on abortion and contraception. He noted that 23 percent of his association's members already report facing discrimination because of their beliefs.

For more advocacy information, visit the Be Heard Project or Freedom2Care, or e-mail the Department of Health and Human Services at proposedrescission@hhs.gov. Today is the last day to write.

And stay tuned to Her.meneutics today for an interview with Melissa Rogers!

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Posted by Katelyn Beaty on April 9, 2009 9:29 AM

Comments

For those who claim to be pro-"choice", why are they so insitant on taking our "choice" away?
I once quit taking my toddler to a doctor when I found out he performed abortions. I figured if he was willing to kill other people's children, he didn't need to be treating mine.
Though I've not had much to go on in this current administration, I am praying for our country and our president and pray he will do the right thing. I believe that if he takes away the right to refuse certain morally disagreeable treatment, things are going to get harder for all of America (not to mention the cost of health care will sky-rocket--as if it's not high enough already). They have their right to have abortions, now they want our ability to choose doctors who don't perform abortions by punishing the doctors?

Posted By: Pammer | April 9, 2009 11:42 AM

If Obama does retract the conscience clause instituted by Bush, it will be like the "shot heard round the world" in the start of another revolution. The first shot heard round the world in the American revolution was the beginnig of the fight for freedom. This decision will produce another fight for freedom that was garaunteed under the constititution.
I hope Pres Obama see the light and knows the cost of the Pro-choice and Planned Parenthood pay back that he thinks he owes with passing this legislation.
People cannot be forced to be part of the abortion industry.

Posted By: Elizabeth Zierke | April 9, 2009 4:44 PM

Repeal of this month-old regulation will not take anyone's "choice" away. Religious conscience protections have existed in federal law going back about 40 years. "Conscience" rights will be just the same after repeal of this regulation as they were for all 8 years of the Bush administration. No one is being "forced to be part of the abortion industry."

Even the Bush-appointed General Counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says the new regulation is unnecessary and harmful:

"But three officials from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, including its legal counsel, whom President Bush appointed, said the proposal would overturn 40 years of civil rights law prohibiting job discrimination based on religion.

The counsel, Reed L. Russell, and two Democratic members of the commission, Stuart J. Ishimaru and Christine M. Griffin, also said that the rule was unnecessary for the protection of employees and potentially confusing to employers.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 already prohibits employment discrimination based on religion, Mr. Russell said, and the courts have defined “religion” broadly to include “moral or ethical beliefs as to what is right and wrong, which are sincerely held with the strength of traditional religious views.”

Mr. Ishimaru and senior members of the commission staff said that neither the Department of Health and Human Services nor the White House had consulted their agency before issuing the proposed rule."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/washington/18abort.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Posted By: Christian Lawyer | April 9, 2009 9:14 PM

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