Thread: Christian Doctors Angry Over "Conscience Rule" Reversal

FYI, abortions are performed by normal hospital rotation doctors with at least some regularity. "Abortionists" (I hate this word) would, as far as I know, refer to doctors in abortion clinics, whose only role is to perform abortions.

Originally Posted by ephekt

FYI, abortions are performed by normal hospital rotation doctors with at least some regularity. "Abortionists" (I hate this word) would, as far as I know, refer to doctors in abortion clinics, whose only role is to perform abortions.

Ahh, I stand corrected on that point.

However, I've been reading more on this issue, and I just found the actual content of the regulation that Obama is rolling back. My description in the OP is actually poorly worded. Here's what Bush's last-minute regulation actually does:

"The far-reaching regulation cuts off federal funding for any state or local government, hospital, health plan, clinic or other entity that does not accommodate doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other employees who refuse to participate in care they find ethically, morally or religiously objectionable. It was sought by conservative groups, abortion opponents and others to safeguard workers from being fired, disciplined or penalized in other ways."

From the Washington Post's article on the regulation when it was introduced in January, here

So here's the deal: Before Bush added this regulation, doctors/pharmacists/nurses/etc. could refuse to provide a service on the ground of conscience, BUT if they did so, they might be punished or fired by their employer. E.g., if you work at a pharmacy and refuse to give someone their birth control pills, the owner/manager of the pharmacy could fire you for refusing to do your job. Or if a doctor at a hospital refused to provide an abortion even though the hospital's policy is that they will provide abortions, the hospital management could fire him for it. What Bush's new regulation did was prohibit businesses from disciplining or terminating their own employees for refusing to provide a service that is part of the job they were hired to do. It said that health care employees could refuse to do their job, on the grounds of moral objection, without fear of being fired for it. And it's this regulation that the Obama administration has now undone.

So, bottom line, in no way does this force anyone to provide an abortion, or even to fill a birth control pill prescription. It just means that if they refuse to do so, it's not illegal for their employer to fire them for it. Sorry about the shitty explanation in the OP, everyone. That's what I get for not doing enough research before posting a thread.