Incoming Obama Administration Looking At Variety Of Bush Administration Measures, Including 'Right Of Conscience' Rule Expansion

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Abortion;  Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 18 Dec 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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The incoming Obama administration is conducting "sweeping scrutiny of Bush-era legislation and regulation on issues across the federal government," the Wall Street Journal reports. Obama administration officials are "considering how and when" to repeal a Bush administration rule, set to be finalized this week, that would allow medical workers to not participate in procedures they object to on moral grounds, including abortion and possibly other treatments related to birth control, according to the Journal.

The new rule would broaden existing federal laws -- which currently allow doctors and nurses to forgo performing abortions -- to state that any health care worker can refuse to provide information, such as a referral, to a patient seeking an abortion. HHS estimates the new "right of conscience" regulation would affect 584,000 hospitals, doctors' offices, pharmacies and other health care entities.

To prevent the rule from taking effect, Congress could block its implementation or HHS could "begin the laborious process of issuing a new regulation reversing course," the Journal reports. Officials close to the Obama transition team "have signaled that they intend to begin the regulatory process anew," according to the Journal. Decisions on other issues related to abortion and birth control are expected "early on executive, regulatory, budgetary and legislative fronts," the Journal reports. Obama also is "likely" to lift current restrictions on funding for embryonic stem cell research, according to the Journal (Meckler, Wall Street Journal, 12/17).

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