The Department of Health and Human Services will publish a draft regulation to amend federal standards for conscience-based and religious objections to the provision of certain types of health care, ministry announced on Thursday.
The proposed rule repeals most of a rule, widely opposed in the health care sector, that the administration of President Donald Trump enacted but never took into effect after federal courts. state abolished it. President George W. Bush implemented the first federal “conscience clause” in 2008, and its reach changed as the White House shifted gears between Republicans, who support the policies. stronger protections for providers and Democrats, who advocate promoting broad access to health care.
The Trump administration rule would expand the rights of healthcare providers, health insurers and their employees to refuse to perform procedures or distribute products based on objections. ethics or religion and will cut federal money for organizations that don’t comply.
At the time, the American Medical Association said the rule would allow doctors to “refuse medically appropriate care even if their refusal endangers life and the safety of others.”
According to HHS, the proposed rule announced Thursday would remove most of those provisions and create additional safeguards to protect against religious discrimination. The sections the department proposes to remove are “redundant, illegal, misleading, or undermine the balance that Congress strikes between protecting rights of conscience and protecting access to care. health, or because important questions have been raised about their legal rights,” the draft regulation said.
“No one should be discriminated against because of their religious or moral beliefs, especially when they are seeking or providing care,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a press release. . “The proposed rule strengthens the protection of people with religious or moral objections while ensuring access to care for all in compliance with the law.”
