But it won’t be a good one. The Bush administration is pushing a new DHHS rule that would require that “any health care entity that receives federal financing … certify in writing that none of its employees are required to assist in any way with medical services they find objectionable.”

The rule is very broad, and goes far further than the relevant laws in this area. It specifically says that employees cannot be required to assist in performing abortions. However, abortion is not defined, allowing institutions and employees to define it for themselves. As we all know, such definitions can be incredibly broad, including things like birth control pills, voluntary sterilizations, IUDs, and almost anything else. You can read more about the proposed regulation here.

This proposed rule is open to public comment until September 25. Comments can be submitted by e-mail to consciencecomment@hhs.gov