**Breaking** Judge voids Trump administration's 'conscience rule' letting health providers refuse

[hlthe2b]

Judge voids Trump administration’s ‘conscience rule’ letting health-care providers refuse to give care for religious, moral reasons

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/national/wp/2019/11/06/judge-voids-trump-administrations-conscience-rule-letting-health-care-providers-refuse-to-give-care-for-religious-moral-reasons/

U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan declared the rule unconstitutional in a decision stemming from a lawsuit by New York and 22 other mostly Democratic states and municipalities. The rule, which was set to go into effect later this month, gave health-care providers greater latitude to refuse to participate in abortions, sterilizations or other procedures they disagree with on religious or moral grounds.

Updated story:

The lawsuit, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, argued the rule illegally favored the personal views of health-care workers over the needs of patients and threatened to hobble the ability of state-run health-care facilities to provide effective care.

The rule, proposed by Trump’s Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights more than a year ago, would have protected “conscience rights” of health care providers by boosting enforcement of at least two dozen laws that allow doctors, nurses, technicians and other providers to opt out of procedures such as abortions or gender-change procedures they object to on personal or religious grounds.

“Health care is a basic right that should never be subject to political games,” James said in a statement. “... The refusal of care rule was an unlawful attempt to allow health care providers to openly discriminate and refuse to provide necessary health care to patients based on providers’ ‘religious beliefs or moral objections.’” Many physician and health advocacy groups contended the rule would have disproportionately harmed certain groups of patients, including LGBTQ patients. “We are heartened by today’s ruling, and we will not stop fighting to prioritize patients’ need for standard medical care over health care personnels’ personal religious or moral beliefs,” the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association said in a statement.

[Pacifist Patriot]

1. All this winning in court must be fucking exhausting.

[Brother Buzz]

3. It may be fucking exhausting, and it's going to continue for the foreseeable future

A year ago, the state of California had a couple of dozen lawsuits against the federal government; today it has sixty

[IronLionZion]

9. They've been packing federal courts with young RW appointees for life

so I wouldn't get too confident about court winnings continuing.

[sdfernando]

12. the orange pustule did say there would be a lot of winning

but I don't this is the winning he had in mind.

[struggle4progress]

2. "My conscience just won't let me save the life of anyone I disagree with!"

[gratuitous]

4. Considering the number of Catholic hospitals and clinics

It's tempting to say, "Who's going to get into medicine so they can deny treatment for people they don't like?" But the fact of the matter is that the Catholic Church owns and operates a lot of hospitals and medical clinics in this country (e.g., Sisters of Providence). In some places, they're the only provider of health care services, and the folks who run those hospitals and clinics are ultimately answerable to the Catholic hierarchy. The official dogma of the Catholic Church is that any form of birth control makes baby Jesus cry; don't even talk about abortion!

This is a big deal for anyone who doesn't want to subordinate their health to religious dogma.

[Wounded Bear]

5. They've made a huge push into my state lately (WA)...

It's kind of scary. They do well on a lot of things, but their stances on women's health issues are far too medieval for me.

[sacto95834]

6. I never understood this conscientious objection by Health Care Professionals...

If you have reservations about saving X's life or providing health care to them because of who they are, this isn't the job for you.

Find another profession where your beliefs don't interfere with somebody's life or well being. You and your potential patient will sleep better every night.

[Pacifist Patriot]

11. Could not agree with you more.

[ashling]

7. B4 you can make a rule about conscience

You have to actually have a conscience

[Garrett78]

8. Neither conscience nor morals can be associated with the Republican Party.

[lunatica]

10. And we're supposed to find common ground with these people?!

It’s insane that this is even a court issue! They want to revert to Medieval Dark Age shit so badly they can taste it.

[rocktivity]

13. Constitutional Law 101, President Twitter Tantrum

What part of "unequal protection under the law" do you not understand?


rocktivity