WASHINGTON (AP) — Moving to solidify its credentials with social conservatives, the Trump administration is creating an office to protect the religious rights of medical providers, including those who oppose abortion.
The announcement Thursday by the Department of Health and Human Service drew immediate criticism from Democrats who said it could undermine the rights of women, gays and transgender people.
The new division will be part of the HHS Office of Civil Rights, which enforces federal anti-discrimination and privacy laws. The administration said it will focus on enforcing conscience and religious protections already part of federal law. No new efforts to expand such protections were announced.
“President Trump promised the American people that his administration would vigorously uphold the rights of conscience and religious freedom,” acting HHS Secretary Eric Hargan said in a statement. “That promise is being kept today.”
Religious and social conservatives are a core constituency for the Trump administration. President Donald Trump will address via satellite Friday’s annual anti-abortion march in Washington.
Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington was quick to criticize the administration’s decision to create the new office.
“This would be yet another attempt to let ideology dictate who is able to get the care they need,” Murray said in a statement. “Any approach that would deny or delay health care to someone and jeopardize their wellbeing for ideological reasons is unacceptable.”
Monday marks the 45th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.
So according to the administration the conscience of an athlete engaged in the mere act of kneeling is a mortal threat to the nation but it’s ok for some medical professionals to cite their consciences to violate the hippocratic oath and refuse treatment to the ailing.
Aside from being abominable this appears to run afoul of the First Amendment right out of the gate.
But here’s what’s really fucking bizarre:
The goddamn march is in D.C., fer chrissake.
But here’s what’s going to be really funny: The following day whatever numbers the child-hating fetus protectors muster on Friday will be completely dwarfed by the Women’s March the following day.
Fun Fact: The president will NOT be addressing the Women’s March by satellite or any other means.
and the need for this comes from where? Have I missed reporting on threats to physicians who do NOT provide abortions? I know the forced birthers will and do threaten and kill doctors who provide requested/required services, but never have I seen reporting that says doctors who refuse to perform services have been harassed.
So this is the office I should go to for help when I get in trouble because my sincerely held belief in the teachings of the koran lead me not to treat patients who consume alcohol or pork products? Or my buddhist commitment to nonviolence prevents me from treating members of the military or the police forces?
(Not saying adherents of those religions would actually behave in such egregious ways, albeit the religious connection would be at least as strong as that of the forced-birthers.)
There have been stories about pharmacists who have been disciplined for stealing prescriptions from women getting RU486 (or whatever its current name is). But I think that other than just a shout-out to the more-dead-women marchers, this is probably intended to provide cover for medical “professionals” who refuse to even mention to their patients that abortion is an option. Which sometimes leads to the death of that patient.