At Sacramento press conference, healthcare professionals plead with president not to revoke conscience protection regulation
Doctors, nurses, other health professionals and some California legislators held a press conference Tuesday, June 9, on the north steps of the state Capitol in Sacramento pleading with President Barack Obama not to rescind conscience protection regulations for healthcare providers who do not want to participate in abortions or other medical procedures they find morally objectionable.
"If the term ‘choice' means anything at all, it must apply equally to those who support abortion and those who conscientiously object to it," said William J. Cox, president of the Alliance of Catholic Health Care, in a statement released the day of the press conference.
The conscience rule, which took effect on Jan. 18, two days before Obama was sworn into office, was issued by the Department of Health and Human Services. The federal regulation protects physicians and other healthcare workers who refuse to assist in abortions and other medical procedures based on religious or moral objections. The Obama Administration announced earlier this year that it is considering eliminating the regulation.
"The conscience protections contained in federal law are a civil right for all hospitals and health care workers," Cox said in an April 1 statement issued by the Sacramento-based Alliance of Catholic Health Care. “The regulation that the Administration seeks to repeal is necessary for preserving those rights and making sure that health care workers can perform their duties without fear or intimidation."
"If the term ‘choice' means anything at all, it must apply equally to those who support abortion and those who conscientiously object to it," said William J. Cox, president of the Alliance of Catholic Health Care, in a statement released the day of the press conference.The conscience rule, which took effect on Jan. 18, two days before Obama was sworn into office, was issued by the Department of Health and Human Services. The federal regulation protects physicians and other healthcare workers who refuse to assist in abortions and other medical procedures based on religious or moral objections. The Obama Administration announced earlier this year that it is considering eliminating the regulation.
"The conscience protections contained in federal law are a civil right for all hospitals and health care workers," Cox said in an April 1 statement issued by the Sacramento-based Alliance of Catholic Health Care. “The regulation that the Administration seeks to repeal is necessary for preserving those rights and making sure that health care workers can perform their duties without fear or intimidation."
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