“This is a serious issue about whether health care professionals, whether health care facilities, will be able to practice medicine consistent with their beliefs,” he said. Under “the view, apparently, of the HHS OCR, all women who are pregnant will have to have their babies delivered at abortion clinics. The proposed rules appear to be “a direct attack on women and LGBT health,” said Susan Berke Fogel, director of reproductive health at the National Health Law Program, a health care advocacy group. Under these proposals, she said, “it appears that anyone can refuse to do anything remotely related to health care. “I don’t think there is any question that this is politically motivated to push the Congress” to expand federal conscience protections, Fogel said.

Source: Huffington Post January 29, 2018 01:30 UTC