Category: News

Update on American HHS controversy

The Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed a regulation that will require businesses with over 50 employees to provide health insurance for birth control and surgical sterilization, even if they object to doing so for reasons of conscience.  The regulations includes exemptions for objecting “religious employers” (largely limited to houses of worship) and objecting religious non-profit organizations.  However, the continued demand that objecting business owners be forced to comply and the nature of the exemptions remain unacceptable to many religious organizations.  Speaking for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, Eric Rassbach, Deputy General Counsel, said:  

When it comes to religious liberty, the Department of Health and Human Services is acting like a kid who doesn’t want to eat his lima beans. Our Constitution and laws require them to protect religious exercise, but they really don’t want to, so they are trying every trick in the book to avoid doing so. But we will keep suing until the courts make HHS comply with its obligations. [Becket Fund News Release]

The U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Committee has issued a report accusing the Obama administration and Department of Health and Human Services of “unprecedented abuse” of religious liberty.

There are now 61 civil suits filed against the regulation, with over 200 plaintiffs. [Becket Fund, HHS Information Central].  In one of them, a unanimous decision by the10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver has directed a lower court allow a civil suit brought by Hobby Lobby, a chain of arts and crafts stores.  The owners of the company object to being forced to provide embryocidal forms of birth control.  They are seeking an injunction against the enforcement of the regulation [The Tennessean].  A Largo, Florida, company with the same objections has been granted a preliminary injunction [Tampa Tribune], as has Geneva College, a Christian college in Pennsylvania [NCR].

American Catholic bishops have been adamant that the HHS regulation is unacceptable, once again declaring a “Fortnight for Freedom” from 21 June to 4 July to encourage opposition to it and support for freedom of religion.  Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has been one of the leading opponents of the law.  The Archdiocese of New York is among the plaintiffs in the lawsuits against the regulation.  However, the Archdiocese of New York has, for years, been indirectly paying for health insurance for employees of the Catholic Health Care System that includes coverage for contraception and abortion.  The arrangement was approved by Cardinal Dolan’s predecessor, Archbishop John O’Connor, who died in 2000.  A spokesman for the Archdiocese stated that the coverage is provided “under protest.”  [New York Times]

Most Flemish physicians avoid euthanasia

Only 400 of 20,000 Flemish physicians are trained to provide euthanasia.  It appears that most physicians do not want to be directly involved with it.  In consequence, the 400 are called upon frequently to provide the required second opinion and sometimes the lethal injection.  There have been complaints that they are not paid for the second opinion. [Bioedge]  Confirming the reluctance of physicians to participate in the procedure, Dr. Sarah Van Laer complains that “there are too few doctors ready to perform euthanasia” and that this is a “badly underestimated problem.” [Bioedge]

Catholics, Baptists Come Together Over Conscience-Rights Bill

National Catholic Register

Archbishop William Lori and Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention are  united by the belief that Congress must act to help preserve freedom of religion  and conscience.

WASHINGTON — Catholic and Baptist leaders are collaborating to ask national  legislators to support a bill that would offer conscience protections to  health-care workers across the country.

“While Catholics and Southern Baptists espouse different theological views,  we are united by the belief that Congress must act to help preserve our freedom  of religion and conscience,” Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore and Russell  Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention wrote in a June 21 letter to members of  Congress. . .  [Full story]

U.S. Senate Bill S1204 (2013) Health Care Conscience Rights Act

 A BILL

To amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to protect rights of conscience with regard to requirements for coverage of specific items and services, to amend the Public Health Service Act to prohibit certain abortion-related discrimination in governmental activities, and for other purposes. [Full Text]

 

Over 500 physicians have signed up against Quebec euthanasia bill

The Physicians’ Alliance for the Total Refusal of Euthanasia, a Quebec organization, is comprised mainly of physicians whose focus of practice is on dying patients.  The group is adamantly opposed to euthanasia.  Over 500 physicians have identified themselves as supporting its Total Refusal of Euthanasia Declaration.  The Alliance has issued a news release denouncing the Quebec government’s new euthanasia bill.

Dr. Catherine Ferrier of the Montreal General Hospital is concerned that virtually all of her patients in the geriatric clinic would be eligible for euthanasia, and that the spectre of euthanasia would haunt “every interaction” with her patients were it to be legalized.  While she is doubtful about whether or not the euthanasia bill can be stopped, she said ” I am certainly never going to kill a patient.” [CJAD]

Dr. Gerald van Gurp, whose opposition to euthanasia is informed by developments in his homeland, the Netherlands, is a palliative care and emergency physician at Montreal’s Hotel Dieu Hospital.  He argues that most Quebeckers do not have access to quality palliative care, and that the solution to that problem is to provide access to high-quality palliative care, not euthanasia. [Montreal Gazette]

Dr. van Gurp said that he would not continue to provide home palliative care for terminally ill patients if the euthanasia bill passes.  “I’m not going there,” he said.

Speaking for the Alliance, Dr. Marc Beauchamp described the bill as “an enormous revolution in ethics and law.” [CBC News]