Obama Administration Closes In on Rescinding Conscience Protections

As President Bush left office, he expanded conscience protections for medical professionals who do not want to participate in abortions.  The Bush regulations did not create new law, they expanded enforcement of three existing federal conscience protection laws:  the Church Amendment, the Public Health Service Act Section 245, and the Weldon Amendment.    President Bush was concerned that these laws were not being enforced and illegal discrimination against pro-life medical professionals was occurring.

The Obama Administration has been working since March of 2009 to rescind these conscience protections, stating in a recent court filing that its final conscience rule will be announced before March 1, 2011.  The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has proposed requiring referrals for abortion as an Ethics rule for the nation’s OB-GYNs.   Once the conscience rule is rescinded, it is possible that a pro-life doctor could lose his/her board certification for refusing to participate in abortions.

It isn’t enough for abortion proponents to have legal abortion on demand .   They want to force an abortion regime on our medical professionals.   This is a sad day for those who devote their lives to saving lives, not destroying them.

Barbara Lyons