The Trump Administration’s “Conscientious Objection” Rule Protects Workers Over Patients

A new rule passed by the Trump Administration protects healthcare works who refuse care based on religious or conscientious objection. So for example healthcare works can refuse to preform abortions, sterilization, sex reassignment, assisted suicide, etc.

Or more specifically this is a 440 page rule that strengthens exiting protections in a way that some fear is vague enough to lead to discrimination.

It isn’t a simple issue, but it is a notable about face from an Obama era rule that did the opposite (that is, it strengthen patient rights in terms of seeking these services).

The main issue here on one side is that this could lead to patients not being able to get certain procedures, of course on the other side of the argument is the importance of the freedom of the objector.

The issue is actually sensitive enough to where I don’t really want to speak on it too much, but I do encourage you to research it further to get a sense of the impacts of the Trump era push for “Religious Civil Rights” in healthcare.

For more reading, see NPR’s New Trump Rule Protects Health Care Workers Who Refuse Care For Religious Reasons (centered).