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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Dr. John T. Bruchalski would rather close the doors of his highly successful Fairfax, Va., medical practice than violate his conscience if he is forced to offer services that violate the basic tenets of his Catholic faith. A pro-life obstetrician and gynecologist whose Tepeyac Family Center delivered 629 babies in 2008, Bruchalski is concerned that a Department of Health and Human Services proposal to rescind a conscience protection regulation for health care workers would force him to perform abortions or, at the very least, refer patients to physicians who offer the procedure. Bruchalski told Catholic News Service...

I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art. - From the original Hippocratic Oath used in America until the late 20th Century Is there anything more fundamental than the right to refuse to kill for the state? As Americans, we have given steadfast honor to this bedrock individual liberty throughout our history. Even in times of all-out war, when millions and millions of...

Newfoundland, Canada, Apr 6, 2009 / 07:31 pm (CNA).- The executive director of an international organization of obstetricians and gynecologists has expressed “deep concern” regarding the Obama Administration's proposed canceling of conscience protections for pro-life doctors and medical professionals. He warned the changes would further devalue human life, characterizing them as “a form of totalitarianism.” Dr. Robert L. Walley, MaterCare executive director, in an April 6 letter said conscientious objection has “long been a tenet of civilized societies and it is now proposed that this right be denied by the rescinding protection of doctors.” “By interfering in the freedom to...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Senate on Thursday night rejected an amendment from a pro-life senator that would have provided conscience protection on abortion for doctors and medical centers. The amendment comes at a time when President Barack Obama is considering overturning further protections.Sen Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican, sponsored an amendment to the Senate budget bill that would protect the right of conscience for health care workers.His budget amendment was to "protect the freedom of conscience for patients and the right of health care providers to serve patients without violating their moral and religious convictions."However, the Senate rejected the...

The period of public comment on conscience protection for health care providers will end on April 9. No one wants the government telling physicians they must violate their conscience in the practice of medicine. This is especially important regarding life and death decisions. This basic principle securing the integrity of physician-patient relationships has been threatened of late. In December 2008 the Department of Health and Human Services issued a regulation clarifying the protections offered by three civil rights laws for health care providers passed by Congress with bipartisan support. However, the Obama administration has stated its intention of overturning the...

Washington, DC -- The Senate on Thursday night rejected an amendment from a pro-life senator that would have provided conscience protection on abortion for doctors and medical centers. The amendment comes at a time when President Barack Obama is considering overturning further protections.

In the maddened times, reason disappears, and old scores are ripe to be settled by those who live for such opportunities. But sometimes the mad overreach, and an outcry from others who will not accept further madness... can made a pivotal difference. An organization is quietly under assault, perhaps one that you've never heard of- AAPLOG. They are a group of physicians who insist that the right to disagree was never reserved for liberals alone. The email speaks for itself..... ************************************** ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Donna Harrison Date: Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 9:02 AM Subject: A brief chance...

Public Comment on Removing Conscience Protections for Health Care Workers By John-Henry Westen WASHINGTON, March 6, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - President Obama's proposal to rescind a policy that protects the conscience rights of health care workers has now been formally published in the Federal Register, thus opening the 30-day period available for public comment on the proposal. Pro-life groups in the United States are urging concerned citizens to voice their concerns. The policy, one of the last acts of the Bush Administration, protects health care workers from being forced to perform and provide controversial services that conflict with their personal, moral...

At the Federal Register on Monday, March 9 to be published on the 10th, go down to the Health and Human Services. Then, click on the A href="Rescission of the Regulation entitled "Ensuring That Department of Health and Human Services Funds Do Not Support Coercive or Discriminatory Policies or Practices in Violation of Federal Law"> pdf titled, Rescission of the Regulation entitled "Ensuring That Department of Health and Human Services Funds Do Not Support Coercive or Discriminatory Policies or Practices in Violation of Federal Law Here's some of the law and regulations that the Obama Administration can't stand. The Department...

02:03 PM 3/5/2009 — True of false? Artificial birth control is a mortal sin; and, if you are using any form of it, you may not receive Holy Communion. Most American Catholics—indeed, most Catholics throughout the world—would probably swear on a stack of New American Bibles that it's false. They're wrong, of course. The statement is totally true. They think it's false because they mistakenly believe that Vatican II introduced us to a previously unappreciated facet of the Holy Spirit which makes each one of us infallible in moral matters, called the "conscience." The misunderstanding is rampant even among conservatives....

A philosophical shift has taken place in the abortion rights movement. After confronting either a pro-life president or a pro-life majority in Congress for 26 of the last 28 years, abortion advocates have now secured sympathetic majorities in all three branches of government. And change in government has brought change to a movement that's moved beyond working to secure a woman's right to choose abortion. Its new goal is much more audacious - to coerce others into violating their consciences and participating in the murder of innocent human life. It's a shift from merely being "pro-choice" to being "pro-abortion." This...

www.catholicnewsagency.com Obama administration may toss pro-life conscience protections President Barack Obama Related articles: Submission to Department of HealthReview of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology ActThe “Morning-After Pill”, Rape Victims and Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care ServicesAre chemical abortions safer than surgical abortions?Preparations for the anniversary Washington D.C., Feb 27, 2009 / 06:10 pm (CNA).- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is preparing to rescind regulations which made explicit the existing legal protections for medical workers who object to cooperating in abortions. The preparations have led one Republican congressman to charge President Obama’s administration with...

Taking another step into the abortion debate, the Obama administration Friday will move to rescind a controversial rule that allows health-care workers to deny abortion counseling or other family-planning services if doing so would violate their moral beliefs, according to administration officials. The rollback of the "conscience rule" comes just two months after the Bush administration announced it last year in one of its final policy initiatives. The new administration's action seems certain to stoke ideological battles between supporters and opponents of abortion rights over the responsibilities of doctors, nurses and other medical workers to their patients.

The "Conscience Rule" An issue of Morality/Hippocratic Oath? Or lawsuits? One thing can be said... all of us - on both sides of the aisles - live in the dark on most actions our govt is doing on our "behalf". So those with particular specialties, and an eye on relative legislation, are often very helpful in drawing attention to issues that arise we would otherwise miss. Such is the case when Larry Weisenthal, one of our left leaning FA commenters, requested an authored post on a new regulation to be implemented prior to Obama's inauguration, the "conscience rule".First off, what...

The Bush administration issued a sweeping regulation Thursday that protects a broad range of health care workers — from doctors to janitors — who refuse to participate in providing services they believe violate their personal, moral or religious beliefs. The controversial rule empowers federal health officials to cut off funding for any state or local government, hospital, clinic, health plan, doctor's office or other entity if it does not accommodate employees who exercise their "right of conscience." It would apply to more than 584,000 health care facilities. "Doctors and other health care providers should not be forced to choose between...

“Same Sex Marriage” and Its Threat to Religious Liberty November 29th, 2008 by Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse Tactics used by gay marriage campaigners confirm believers’ worst fears. As wildfires blazed in California last week, anger at the outcome of the state’s referendum on marriage blazed across the country. After a hard-fought campaign over Proposition 8, which defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman, a clear majority of California voters endorsed it, and the gay marriage lobby was enraged. Now, as same sex marriage campaigners take the issue back to the courts, it is unclear what the...

Vice-president elect Joe Biden Fargo, North Dakota, Nov 22, 2008 / 02:14 pm (CNA).- Following the Fall meeting of the U.S. Catholic bishops in Baltimore, where they pledged not to yield ground to the incoming Obama administration on the issue of abortion, Bishop Samuel Aquila has revealed that vice president-elect Joe Biden is struggling with his conscience over his support for abortion.Bishop Michael Hoeppner of Crookston, Minnesota and Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo, North Dakota are just two of the bishops who have increased their efforts to speak more forcefully and clearly on the issue of abortion over the...

Dr. Alveda King works with Father Frank Pavone (PFL) in the Gospel of Life Ministry. She personally supports and will vote for McCain-Palin. This is significant as she is a close relative of Martin Luther King, Jr. She is the niece of Martin Luther King, Jr. Her father, A. D. King worked with his brother Martin on Civil Rights. She is author of the book: Sons of Thunder (ISBN-13 : 9781413411263). This book about her father (Dr. A. D. King) and her uncle Martin (Martin Luther King, Jr.) Dr. Alveda King is head of African-American outreach for the Gospel of...

Bishop John M. Smith Trenton, Aug 12, 2008 / 11:48 am (CNA).- The Bishop of Trenton, New Jersey, has responded to an article in the Times of Trenton entitled, “U.S. bishops: Vote your conscience.”  In his response, Bishop Smith states that the article trivialized “the issues and voting choices facing Catholics this year,” and failed to provide the readers with an adequate understanding of the U.S. bishops’ document, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.”The July 30 issue of the Times of Trenton published an article summarizing the bishop’s statement, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.” However, Bishop Smith writes that, the...

Birth Control Fears Addressed HHS Chief Says Draft Rule Is Not Redefining Abortion Mike Leavitt blogged on the issue. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt has denied that a controversial draft regulation would redefine common birth control methods as abortion and protect the rights of doctors and other health-care workers who refuse to provide them.