Catholic World News News Feature

White House proposes wide "conscience clause" on abortion, contraception July 17, 2008

Under a policy proposed by the Bush White House, the US government would require all recipients of federal health-care payments to certify that they do not discriminate against doctors or nurses who refuse to be involved in abortions.

New White House policies, circulated for comment this week, would ask all institutions receiving federal health-care grants to provide written assurance that they will not fire-- or refuse to hire-- health-care personnel who express moral objections to abortion.

The proposed guidelines extend to some abortifacient drugs that are commonly identified simply as contraceptives. They regulation circulated by the White House seeks protection for doctors and nurses who express moral objections to the use of "any of the various procedures — including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action — that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation.”??