Obama Admin to Rescind Bush's 'Conscience' Regulation

[MountainLaurel]

Hating to interrupt the vaccine-fest, but I thought some here might find this relevant and happy news. I for one am very grateful for this, since it lessens the chance of someone else's dogma trumping my health.

The Obama administration has begun the process of rescinding sweeping new federal protections that were granted in December to health care workers who refuse to provide care that violates their personal, moral or religious beliefs.

The Office of Management and Budget announced this morning that it was reviewing a proposal to lift the controversial "conscience" regulation, the first step toward reversing the policy. Once the OMB has reviewed the proposal it will published in Federal Register for a 30-day public comment period.

"We are proposing rescinding the Bush rule," said an official of the Health and Human Services Department, which drafted the rule change.

The administration took the step because the regulation was so broadly written that it could provide protections not only to health care workers who object to abortion but also to a wide range of health care services, said the HHS official, who asked not to be named because the process had just begun.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/27/AR2009022701104.html

[The Unknown Derelict]

1. Self Delete

I moved my comment here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3759118

[trotsky]

2. Thank goodness. n/t

[SidDithers]

3. "We are proposing rescinding the Bush rule,"...

sweeter words have never been spoken.

This is good news. Thanks for posting.

Sid

[uppityperson]

4. That is very good.

Having had to fight with a nurse years back about giving a person dying from cancer his pain meds (morally she couldn't because he might get addicted), if you can't do your job, don't have that job. I wonder if the conscience thing would ever be extended to places like, say, Mcdonalds? "you look too fat to me so I won't serve you fries and will only sell you a salad"?

Thanks for the good news.