Kerry Calls on Incoming Administration to Reverse Bush's Discriminatory Health Care Edict

[ProSense]

12/18/2008

Kerry Calls on Incoming Administration to Reverse Bush's Discriminatory Health Care Edict

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator John Kerry today called on the President-elect’s incoming administration to reverse the regulation President Bush passed today that will seriously limit patients, especially women, from receiving health care services. The rule, which will go into effect before Bush leaves office, allows hospitals to deny services to individuals that hospital employees see as “violating their conscious” according to Secretary Michael Leavitt of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS.)

“This 11th hour new edict denies patients end-of-life care and family planning and restricts essential research initiatives,” said Kerry. “I hope that President-elect Obama will use his power to reverse this misguided policy within the first one hundred days of his administration.”

In November of this year, Senator Kerry cosponsored Sens. Hillary Clinton’s and Patty Murray’s legislation to prevent HHS from enacting this rule that seriously threatens heath care for women and families.

Rule Shields Health Workers Who Withhold Care Based on Beliefs

By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 19, 2008; Page A10

The Bush administration yesterday granted sweeping new protections to health workers who refuse to provide care that violates their personal beliefs, setting off an intense battle over opponents' plans to try to repeal the measure.

Critics began consulting with the incoming Obama administration on strategies to reverse the regulation as quickly as possible while supporters started mobilizing to fight such efforts.

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.

But women's health advocates, family planning proponents, abortion rights activists and some members of Congress condemned the regulation, saying it will be a major obstacle to providing many health services, including abortion, family planning, infertility treatment, and end-of-life care, as well as possibly a wide range of scientific research.

link

[katmondoo]

1. This could shut down a hospital

A few workers could protest almost anything and the doctors would have to obey. What total bullshit. Bush is certifiably NUTS.

[ProSense]

7. Yup,

nuts or evil.

[Cha]

2. Thanks Kerry..for trying to

straighten out the whack job mess bushits continue shove down Americans' throats.

[leftstreet]

3. There's something very, very wrong here

From another article (my bold)

"This gives an open invitation to any doctor, nurse, receptionist, insurance plan or even hospital to refuse to provide information about birth control on the grounds that they believe contraception amounts to abortion," lawyers for the National Women's Law Center said.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/politics/bal-te.abortion19dec19,0,1100701.story


Hmm...
Since when does an insurance plan have a conscience?

[karynnj]

10. Nice catch

The scary thing is that it could be interpreted as the "conscience" of the CEO. The problem is that there is an inherent conflict of interest. The more things that bother the "conscience", the better for the bottom line.

[babylonsister]

4. Yay, Senator Kerry! Clinton and Murray are both working on it, too...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=4679483

[Duer 157099]

5. Maybe it's just time to turn the tables somehow

Since one's "beliefs" can now dictate how they do (or don't) provide health care, then I propose that any atheist physicians who have "believers" as patients should legally be able to have them committed for mental health treatment for suffering under such severe delusions.

If belief systems are going to be running our healthcare system, then by all means, let's play along.

[beachmom]

6. K & R

[Muttocracy]

8. so much to do, so much to undo first. nt

[Starry Messenger]

9. This cannot stand.

I hope it gets overturned. Why would they want to dial back the clock like that?

[apocalypsehow]

11. But, but, but, a one minute prayer on Jan. 20th is so much more important than this trivial matter!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!