July 18, 2008

Once again the forces of abortion on demand are aligning against the pro-life Bush administration. This time, it’s over a draft of proposed regulations for the Department of Health and Human Services, which would prevent hospitals and local governments from discriminating against doctors and nurses who do not want to provide abortion or birth control services.

This proposal, while very welcome, is not new. It simply backs up a previous law, commonly referred to as the Weldon amendment, which refuses federal funding to any local governments that require abortions services for all hospitals and doctors. The proposal, therefore, merely protects pro-life doctors. Not only that, but the regulations broaden the definition of an abortion to include the “morning after” pill, which can act as an abortifacient. 

Planned Parenthood is, of course, outraged. Though often claiming tolerance, any restriction on their ability to perform abortions (and make a profit) is proclaimed a direct attack on women. A large, angry letter describing the regulations as an outrage greets visitors to Planned Parenthood’s website, who are then urged to send an e-mail to President Bush expressing their dislike of the new rules. Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards proclaims, “women’s ability to manage their own health care is at risk of being compromised by politics and ideology.”

As explained before, though, the rules place no restrictions on abortion services or even the ability of women to procure these services. Planned Parenthood objects, perhaps, because this rule would require them to hire any well-qualified doctors or nurses who apply for a job, not just those who agree with their ideology.

These rules would be very welcome, as they protect the rights of physicians and also ensure that federal money does not go into coercing doctors into performing morally reprehensible acts.