The Biden administration is looking to undo Trump-era rules that increased medical workers’ ability to refuse to perform procedures that conflicted with moral or religious beliefs.
The Department of Health and Human Services announced in a press release that it is proposing revising the “conscience” rules, arguing revisions would increase “access to care and prevent discrimination.”
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“No one should be discriminated against because of their religious or moral beliefs, especially when they are seeking or providing care,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “The proposed rule strengthens protections for people with religious or moral objections while also ensuring access to care for all in keeping with the law.”
The new rule would partially rescind a 2019 rule that would have stripped federal funding to facilities that force workers to provide services that go against their personal moral or religious beliefs. The most common procedure objected to is abortion. The rule was blocked by three federal district courts in 2019, which prevented it from ever taking effect.
The new rule, if approved, would remove that stipulation from HHS policy and restrict the conscience freedoms of some medical workers.
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Laws about abortion have significantly changed since the rule was instituted in 2019. States can now restrict the procedure following the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
