Obama to rescind Bush abortion rule
AP
by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
WASHINGTON
President Barack Obama wants to rescind a Bush administration rule that strengthened job protections for doctors and nurses who refuse for moral reasons to perform abortions.
A U.S. Health and Human Services official said Friday the administration will publish notice of its intentions early next week, opening a 30-day comment period for medical groups and the public. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the notice has not been completed.
The Bush administration instituted the rule in its last days, and it was quickly challenged in federal court by several states and medical organizations. As a candidate, President Barack Obama criticized the regulation and campaign aides promised that if elected, he would review it.
Abortion is one of the most divisive issues in American public life. Democrats tend to favor abortion rights while Republicans tend to oppose abortion.
The news that Obama was reviewing the rule drew praise from abortion-rights supporters and condemnation from groups opposed to abortion.
“It would be a horrible move. These regulations were a long time coming,” said Tom McClusky, a vice president at Family Research Council. “What they seek to do is protect patients, nurses, doctors and other health care professionals from being forced to violate their consciences.”
McClusky and other abortion opponents said the Bush regulation clarified federal policies and raised awareness about the rights of medical providers to follow their consciences. But abortion rights advocates said it was vague and overly broad, and could reduce access to other services — allowing a drug store clerk to refuse to sell birth control pills, for example.
“I think it’s a wonderful step,” Rep. Diana DeGette, a Democrat who co-chairs the Congressional Pro-choice Caucus and has introduced legislation to overturn the regulation, said of Obama’s move.
“That rule was actually a poorly drafted last-minute attempt to, I think, restrict health care access and I think it would have had far-reaching and unintended consequences.”
Federal law has long forbidden discrimination against health care professionals who refuse to perform abortions or provide referrals for them on religious or moral grounds. The Obama administration supports those laws, said the HHS official.
The Bush administration’s rule adds a requirement that institutions that get federal money certify their compliance with laws protecting the rights of moral objectors. It was intended to block the flow of federal funds to hospitals and other institutions that ignore those rights.
But the Obama administration was concerned that the Bush regulation could also be used to refuse birth control, family planning services and counseling for vaccines and transfusions.
“The administration supports a tightly written conscience clause,” said the HHS official. “While we are concerned about the Bush rule, we also understand there might be a need to clarify existing laws.”
The administration will review comments from the public before making a final decision. Options range from repealing the regulation to writing a new one with a narrower scope.
At what point does a baby get human rights?
According to Barack Obama, it’s above his pay grade to answer that question.
Wild Thing’s comment………
Under “OBAMACARE” will doctors who refuse to perform abortions be blacklisted and possibly forced out on threats of no pay? One has to wonder. Obamanazis will shut down all dissent.
God weeps for His defenseless little ones.
…..Thank you Lynn for sending this to me.
In biology, we are taught of mitosis (the dividing of cells), which begins immediately after conception. To me, that is life because something is happening to make a human baby. And to force doctors, nurses or medical staff who have are more religious or cannot perform abortions due to their religion is just all uncalled for. I hate “do it or die” ideals.
Matthew 18:6-6 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Obama and the other abortionists should think of the “What If”.
What If there is a God
What If that God is Jesus
What If what Jesus meant what He said about harming little ones
What If you had to face the wrath of Almighty God for harming a little child
What If there is a Hell and it burns forever.
This seems to be the beginning of a Eugenics Department. Where, the small and frail will be terminated, killed, in favor of a much stronger more vibrant entity. Which leads to terminating the old and the infirm, and the retarded, so obama where does it stop ?
Speaking of which San Francisco and the democrats proved that they can elect and appoint the only mentally retarded Woman to speaker of the House.
Didn’t I once mention Lebensborn, forced eugenics and genocide under the Nazi Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) regime and how they controlled their doctors too? Shocking, yes but maybe that is what it takes to wake people from their Obama and Democrat intoxication with National Socialism.
First hand experience has taught me about man’s inhumanity to man, it’s easy to forget and slip into those depths, especially if one’s government legalizes it. Look at Sharia law for recent examples, anyone who has been in a muslim or communist country can attest to the brutal oppression and repression methods enforced with ..death.
How did Hitler get away with it,hmmmn, how is Obama getting away with this in his Gesetz über den Neuaufbau des Reichs? Look around you at what is happening, only one media outlet is mildly alarmed as are a few in the blog world, the rest are welcoming participants or blithely accepting fate. Some Canadians are aware of the danger that their sugar daddy and protector will perish and they too will soon have a Mexican border with the free passage of subversives, sandniggers and drug cartels. The targeted population will be not only Jews but anyone who objects to totalitarian control.
There is a Biblical tale for those few who believe, it has to do with the Mark of The Beast. Could that mark be Communism?
Old School Roman Catholicism is dead… I was raised as a parochial school punk, altar boy, etc… My cousin is a priest (never incarcerated) and my uncle was also a priest. Frau Vader is Lutheran and I am now a CHRISTIAN. I did not leave the Roman Catholic Church – it left me!
Biden and Pelosi say they’re practicing Catholics? Too bad 51,000,000 abortions were practiced, eh? They’re pro- same sex marriage and against capital punishment? God bless and glad my Holy Bible isn’t written in Latin! I miss Bing Crosby and Father O’Malley!!!
Lynn, well said and I don’t like that either.
BobF, that is so good, thank you. Yes they should think of the What If.
Mark, DITTO that!!!!
Jack, thank you and yes I do remember you pointing that out and it is very important. It is just as you said, how it would happen.
Darth, thank you for sharing about that.