Healthcare Conscience Rule Could Stir Legal Backlash

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Read the article and the regulation carefully. The rule provides medical providers the wiggle room to decide that contraception is abortion by not defining it. Many providers already refuse to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception, not to mention contraception before conception. The rule is about limiting the rights of women to make reproductive choices. And yes, women do have the right to control their bodies, unless we are still considered property. Furthermore, this society makes decisions about life and death all the time--look at the war in Iraq or the death penalty. Anti-choice advocates seem to believe that women are incapable of making informed choices.

t.h. of CA 12:17AM January 20, 2009

I think you are thinking like sukrat, but I think you should cover the other side of the topic in the post too...

Natural of AL 6:36AM January 19, 2009

In my opinion, a doctor/nurse/medical provider should be able to refuse to do certain prescriptions/procedures due to conscience reasons IF AND ONLY IF there is another practitioner on site that IS willing to perform those procedures. If not, many women will unfairly and illegally be unable to access birth control, etc., especially in rural areas where there might not be other doctors available (or doctors that cover their insurance).
On the other hand, I don't really feel bad for these medical professionals. Birth control and abortion are LEGAL (at least now), so in my opinion they should've thought about that before going into that profession if they're against it. What's next, is there now going to be a law allowing Wal-Mart cashiers to refuse to sell you condoms because they are morally opposed to premarital sex? Or on the other side, a cashier refusing to sell a gun to someone with a license because they're for gun control? I hope not.

of FL 12:38PM January 12, 2009

I am not as eloquent as OneDove, but I have to agree with him/her completely. Where do our rights come into play? Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to **manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance**." So forcing a doctor to perform an abortion would, in some small measure, violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Vivaldi of RI 6:59PM December 31, 2008

It's very interesting to watch so many who have argued for a woman's right to choose what she does with her own body, suddenly flip-flop on an issue of rights. The "conscience protection" rule formally titled, "Ensuring That Department of Health and Human Services Funds Do Not Support Coercive or Discriminatory Policies or Practices in Violation of Federal Law," and issued through the Bush Administration for the healthcare industry, serves to bolster long-standing laws that protect an individual's right to act within the boundaries of their conscience. In other words, it ensures an individual's right to choose a course of action based on one's beliefs.
However, this seems unacceptable to those who claim to support a "right to choose," perhaps because it threatens to infringe upon what they believe to be the supremacy of THEIR right to choose.
That pro-choice advocates would even attempt to argue from such a self-serving position is deplorable.

One Dove 6:16AM December 24, 2008

They only think it's a matter of conscience for THEM... (the pro abortionists), by always siting 'rape victems' to get the sympathy bit in. Has anyone ever bothered to really check the facts on that, how many rapes actually result in pregnancy? How many people that use contraceptives, emergency contraceptives, and abortion actually used those because of having been raped, as opposed to those who are using it as a means to be more promiscuous?

m.k.o. of OH 10:04PM December 23, 2008

Why do women think they are the only people on the planet with 'rights' to exercise their conscience, aborting unborn with impunity? Psst, here is a news flash; others have rights, too, in case you have not been paying attention. No one says you have to like it. Forcing a doctor to yank the arms and legs off unborn babies is hardly protecting 'your rights'.

therockofages of FL 8:32AM December 23, 2008