Ping! How does this impact the Orthodox Church, if at all? What about Orthodox physicians?
“Ping! How does this impact the Orthodox Church, if at all? What about Orthodox physicians?”
I doubt it will have much impact at all, even if it is as ham handed as some would have us believe. The Orthodox Church in America doesn’t have the sort of hospital system the Latin Church does. As for Orthodox physicians, well, it will be a matter between them and their spiritual fathers. Maybe they will have to resign their positions, something which Justice Scalia once told a lower court judge when asked the same question. In the end, all of this shows what happens when private religious organizations, or individuals, take government money.
But lets see what exactly Obama does. The reg they want to change is brand new, enacted at the end of the Bush presidency. It could be that all they are looking to do is put matters back where they were.
Politically, of course, if what Obama does leads to the closing of Roman Catholic hospitals, a firestorm will be ignited, not because the people are against abortion, it appears that a majority are not, but because it will severely restrict access to medical care. My bet is that this fear is overblown. The Obama crowd are too good at politics to flush everything to keep the baby killer lobby happy on this particular issue.