Media Examine Opposition To Proposed HHS Conscience Rule

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;  Sexual Health / STDs;  Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 04 Dec 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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The Florida Times-Union on Wednesday examined reactions in Florida to the proposed HHS conscience rule, which would permit health care providers who receive federal grants to opt out of medical care based on their moral or religious beliefs.

Alissa Swota -- an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of North Florida and a medical ethicist at Wolfson Children's Hospital -- said that balancing the medical needs of patients with the moral concerns of health care providers is important but that "trying to find the middle ground" is "where the difficulty is." She added that the proposal seems to give the "weight of authority" to providers, which raises concerns that patients could be turned away by pharmacists or physicians. Swota said, "When you're talking about Jacksonville, Fla., with a Walgreens on every corner, that's not an undue burden. But if you're talking rural South Dakota, then it might be you have no other option,"

Staci Fox, chief executive of Planned Parenthood of Northeast Florida, said the proposed rule could allow health care providers to deny procedures and prescriptions that patients deem appropriate. Fox added that the rule also would allow health care providers to refuse to provide information about the medicines or treatments to which they object. Fox said, "This would prohibit women from getting comprehensive information and services because providers can make the decisions based on their moral beliefs" (Brumley, Florida Times-Union, 12/3).

Broadcast Coverage

MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show" on Tuesday included a discussion with Melissa Harris-Lacewell -- an associate professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University -- about the proposed rule. Harris-Lacewell said the rule represents a new strategy for limiting women's reproductive rights. She added, "Rather than fight this out in the courts, rather than remove the constitutional right that currently exists for women to protect their health around reproduction, instead you limit access and you limit the education that doctors are getting in medical schools" (Maddow, "The Rachel Maddow Show," MSNBC, 12/2).

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