Testimony of Clyde R. Meckel, MD |
Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of LB564- the Health Care Freedom of Conscience Act. The purpose of this bill is to respect and protect the fundamental right of conscience of licensed individuals who provide health care. This is a critical matter of protecting one of our most fundamental liberties.
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Update on American HHS birth control mandate controversy: February, 2013
Lawsuits against a federal regulation continue to be filed and are at various stages of litigation and appeal. The contested regulation requires employers of 50 or more people to provide health insurance coverage for contraceptives, embryocides and surgical sterilization, even if the employers object to the services for reasons of concience. As a result of the lawsuits and widespread protests, the Obama
administration has proposed amendments to the regulation, which have been rejected as unsatisfactory by its opponents (New York Times). Judges are split on the issue. (Los Angeles Times) (For a map and up-to-date overview of lawsuits filed against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, see the Becket Fund’s
HHS Information Central.
Twin protection of conscience bills introduced in Tennessee
Senate Bill 514 and House Bill 1185, identical bills that have been introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly, provide protection for students in post-secondary psychology, social work or counselling programmes who, by reason of religious beliefs, are unable to provide a client with the kind of counselling or therapy being sought. The bills require objecting students to refer clients to another counsellor.
U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Bill
Appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies (2013)
An appropriations bill authorizes funding for federal departments of the U.S. government. Since the departments require funds to operate, one method of securing statutory support for freedom of conscience is to attach conditions to an appropriations bill. That is the purpose of Sections 537 and 538.
New York Hospital Agrees to Respect Rights of Pro-Life Nurses
The Foundry
Mount Sinai Hospital in New York has agreed to additional policy and procedure changes to protect the conscience rights of pro-life nurses and other employees as a result of a federal investigation.
In 2009, the hospital allegedly forced a Catholic pro-life nurse to assist in an abortion in violation of the nurse’s religious beliefs. Read more . . .