For immediate release:

Friday, February 27, 2009

For more information:
Federal Legislative Office
(202) 626-8820, legfederal@aol.com
Or Communications Department
(202) 626-8825, mediarelations@nrlc.org

Repeal of Conscience Protection Regulation
is Next Step in Enactment of Expansive Obama Abortion Agenda

WASHINGTON- The Obama Administration is expected to take action today to rescind a regulation that enforces federal laws protecting the conscience rights of doctors and health care providers.  Issued by the Bush Administration, this regulation was designed to raise awareness in the medical community and general public, as well as increase compliance with federal laws protecting doctors and health care providers from discrimination in federally funded health care programs.  Health care providers are increasingly being pressured to violate their moral convictions with regards to abortion. The regulations are based on underlying federal conscience protection laws that Congress has enacted, including the 1973 “Church Amendments,” the 1996 Public Health Service Act amendment, and the “Hyde-Weldon amendment,” which was first added to a funding bill in 2004.   

Susan Muskett, J.D., Senior Legislative Counsel of the National Right to Life Committee commented:  “These conscience protection regulations were carefully crafted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services after soliciting public comments and a lengthy period of review.  Once again, the Obama Administration is doing the bidding of pro-abortion advocacy groups, which wish to penalize health-care providers who refuse to participate in providing abortions.”

Although rescinding this federal regulation does not repeal the underlying federal laws, pro-abortion advocacy groups have targeted the Hyde-Weldon law for repeal.  “No one should be forced to take a human life against their moral convictions, especially not in a federally funded program,” Muskett said.

The National Right to Life Committee is the nation’s largest pro-life group with affiliates in all 50 states and over 3,000 local chapters nationwide.  National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect those threatened by abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and assisted suicide.

# # #