Conscience

Can I both support a pastor’s right
to refuse to marry people and oppose a pharmacist’s right to refuse to
dispense prescriptions? Or does support of one logically require
support of the other?

Sens. Hillary Clinton and Patty Murray have introduced legislation that would block new Department of Health and Human Services provider conscience regulations from going into effect.

Under current law, recipients of federal money cannot force medical professionals to provide abortion or sterilization services if they object for moral or religious reasons. But proposed regulations would expand these laws at patients' expense.

As the deadline for public comment on the new Department of Health and Human Services refusal clause regulations nears, the President's Committee on Bioethics discussed how conscience relates to health care at its meeting last week.

Final draft of HHS proposal is ambiguous and broad enough to allow doctors to refuse birth control; McCain unlikely to choose pro-choice running mate; Pastor who opposes abortion to deliver closing prayer at DNC; Telling back story behind the new Democratic abortion plank.