Controversial regulations proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) that would allow health care workers and institutions to refuse on religious grounds to perform or refer patients for abortions may go into law this month.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Association, and other groups say the regulations may limit women's access to abortion and contraception. Despite this, the agency published the rule in the August 26 Federal Register, starting the clock on a final 30-day comment period prior to becoming law (http://frwebgate5.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=762017164570+0+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve).
The DHHS removed from the proposed legislation a definition of abortion that included any interference with a fertilized egg, which many groups argued would have legally redefined many forms of contraception as abortion. Despite objections, however, the proposed rule still contains provisions that prevent institutions receiving federal funding from firing or refusing to hire . . . [Full Text of this Article]
