By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
Anyone wishing to voice their opinion about President Barack Obama’s decision to dump the Provider Conscience Clause – the regulations put in place by President Bush to protect doctors and medical facilities from having to perform medical procedures that violate their conscience – has until April 9 to do so.
The Obama administration has provided an email address the public can use to comment on his plan to eliminate the new rules which were meant to strengthen enforcement of existing laws that guarantee legal protection for medical professionals who do not wish to participate in procedures that violate their conscience.
Cardinal Francis George, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is urging Catholics in the United States to tell the Obama Administration to retain all regulations governing conscience protections for health care workers.
These provisions are vital in order to keep the government from “moving our country from democracy to despotism,” the Cardinal said.
“Respect for personal conscience and freedom of religion as such ensures our basic freedom from government oppression. No government should come between an individual person and God—that’s what America is supposed to be about . . . We therefore need legal protection for freedom of conscience and of religion—including freedom for religious health care institutions to be true to themselves.”
Comments may be submitted electronically on the Web site www.Regulations.gov (by entering 0991-AB49 in the search box) or by e-mailing proposedrescission@hhs.gov.
By mail, one original and two copies of written comments may be sent to: Office of Public Health and Science, Department of Health and Human Services, Attention: Rescission Proposal Comments, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Ave. SW, Room 716G, Washington, DC 20201.
The deadline for submitting comments is April 9.
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