December, 18 2008, 01:05pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Jesse Galef,202-299-1091,jesse@secular.org
Bush Administration Puts Religion Above Medicine in HSS Conscience Rule; Undermines Patient Rights
The Bush administration today implemented the Provider
Conscience Regulation (RIN 0991-AB48) through the Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS). Its purpose is to allow medical personnel
and volunteers to refuse to participate in any practice they find morally
objectionable. This rule has been widely criticized for the effects it
will have on OB/GYN care; however, other areas of patient care will also
be compromised under this rule and many groups of Americans could see
their medical treatment undermined as a result.
WASHINGTON
The Bush administration today implemented the Provider
Conscience Regulation (RIN 0991-AB48) through the Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS). Its purpose is to allow medical personnel
and volunteers to refuse to participate in any practice they find morally
objectionable. This rule has been widely criticized for the effects it
will have on OB/GYN care; however, other areas of patient care will also
be compromised under this rule and many groups of Americans could see
their medical treatment undermined as a result.
The Secular Coalition for America wrote to HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt
to express its concerns in August of 2008 when the rule was first
proposed. Today, the Secular Coalition's director, Lori Lipman
Brown, issued the following statement in response to the rule's
implementation:
"The so-called Provider Conscience rule flies in the face of the
fundamental principle that the rights of one citizen end where the rights
of another begin. The sweeping language of this rule shows an alarming
indifference to the rights of patients in publicly funded health care
facilities.
"I am especially worried about end of life care under this new rule. The
Terri Schiavo ordeal, in which Congress intervened to impose a biblical
value about human life onto a family struggling with a difficult medical
decision, mobilized untold numbers of Americans to arrange for advance
directives should they become unable to express their wishes during a
medical crisis. This new rule tells Americans that their wishes matter
less than the religious beliefs of the nurse or doctor who happens to be
treating them.
"While we are glad to hear that the incoming Obama administration plans
to review this rule after taking office next year, we are saddened to
think how many people will be denied vital medical services because the
Bush administration is once again privileging religion over science and
medicine."
The Secular Coalition for America's original letter to Secretary Leavitt
can be read here:
https://www.secular.org/news/HHS_provider_conscience_regulation.pdf.
The Secular Coalition for America represents nine national coalition partners who share the view that a secular government offers the best guarantee for freedom of thought and belief for all Americans. It works to protect the civil rights of nontheistic Americans, and lobbies the U.S. Congress on issues of concern to its constituents. The Coalition's website iswww.secular.org.
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Supreme Court Urged to 'Rule Quickly' After Trump Immunity Arguments
"It'd be a travesty for justices to delay matters further," said one legal expert.
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After about three hours of oral arguments Thursday on former President Donald Trump's immunity claims, legal experts and democracy defenders urged the U.S. Supreme Court to rule swiftly, with just over six months until the November election.
Trump—the presumptive Republican candidate to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden, despite his 88 felony charges in four ongoing criminal cases—is arguing that presidential immunity should protect him from federal charges for trying to overturn his 2020 loss to Biden, which culminated in the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Justices across the ideological spectrum didn't seem inclined to support Trump's broad immunity claims—which critics have said "reflect a misreading of constitutional text and history as well as this court's precedent." However, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) shared examples of what it would mean if they did.
"Trump could sell pardons, ambassadorships, and other official benefits to his wealthy donors, members of his clubs, or cronies who helped him commit other crimes," CREW warned. "Trump could sell nuclear codes and government secrets to help pay back crippling debts."
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After warning that a president could also order the occupation or closure of the Capitol or high court to prevent actions against him, CREW concluded that "the Supreme Court never should have taken this appeal up in the first place. They should rule quickly and shut these ludicrous claims down for good."
The organization was far from alone in demanding a quick decision from the nation's highest court.
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On Thursday, the arguments "got away from the central question: Is a former president immune from criminal prosecution if he tried to overthrow a presidential election, using private means and the power of his office to do so?" the Brennan Center noted. "The answer is simple: No."
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Matthew Seligman, a lawyer and a fellow at the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School who filed a brief backing prosecutors, said Sauer's concessions highlight that Trump is "not immune for the vast majority of the conduct alleged in the indictment."
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Stern and other experts signaled that the decision likely comes down to Barrett and Chief Justice John Roberts, with the three liberals seemingly supporting the prosecution of Trump and the other four conservatives suggesting it is unconstitutional.
People for the American Way president Svante Myrick said in a statement that "today's argument brought both good and bad news. It was chilling to hear Donald Trump's lawyer say that staging a military coup could be considered part of a president's official duties."
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