Abortions

HHS supports stronger 'provider conscience' options

Anne Zieger — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:04:00 -0400

HHS has proposed new regulations that would strengthen protections offered to doctors and other healthcare providers who refuse to participate in abortions due to religious or moral objections. If enacted, these regulations would require as many as 584,000 healthcare employers to certify in writing that they're complying with several federal laws protecting the conscience rights of healthcare workers. These include a handful of laws enacted over the last 30 years designed to protect "provider-conscience rights," offering providers the freedom to avoid procedures they oppose. One example is a new section that was added to the Public Health Service Act in 1996, which prohibits government organizations from discriminating against healthcare providers that refused to perform abortions and related activities. If HHS's proposed regs go through, employers who violate provider-conscience rules could face a loss of government funding and legal action to recoup federal dollars already paid.

To learn more about the proposed regs:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece (reg. req.)

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OB/GYN referral guidelines stir controversy

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:59:58 -0400

New guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have stirred up controversy, with parties including the Bush Administration weighing in to complain that they may be inappropriate. Under the ACOG guidelines, OB/GYNs are required to make referrals to other doctors if patients want procedures they won't wish to perform themselves, notably abortions and emergency contraception. However, it's not clear whether a specialist could lose certification for refusing to make such referrals. Now, a war of words has erupted between pro-choice and pro-life physicians within the OB/GYN community over whether such standards are appropriate.

At this point, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt has stepped in, sending a letter to both ACOG and the profession's certifying board, the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In his letter, Leavitt said that he was concerned that qualified OB/GYNs could lose their certification over refusing to do something they consider unethical. However, this may be a moot point, as federal law has protected physicians who don't want to perform abortions--or refer to others that do--since 2004.

To learn more about the controversy:
- read this NPR piece