| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 2, 2019 |
CONTACT: Nicole Stacy [email protected] |
New Regulations Strengthen Enforcement of Federal Protections for Pro-life Health Care Workers
Washington, D.C. – Today the national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) praised the Trump administration for finalizing new regulations to strengthen enforcement of federal laws protecting the conscience rights of health care personnel and other entities who do not want to participate in abortion. The regulations clarify what recourse is available to victims of discrimination under the law and what penalties the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Civil Rights may enforce for violations.
“Today President Trump and HHS Secretary Azar delivered an important victory for conscience rights, fulfilling a key promise to pro-life voters,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “Last year the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division of the Office of Civil Rights was established at HHS to investigate and address conscience violations – an essential step to protect pro-life doctors and nurses like Cathy DeCarlo, who was forced to assist in a late-term abortion or lose her job. These new regulations go even further to put teeth back in the law after years of nonenforcement by the Obama administration. Abortion is not health care and no health care professional should ever be forced to participate in the destruction of human life.
“As some states attempt to expand abortion on demand through birth, with no conscience protections whatsoever, these regulations underscore the Trump administration’s seriousness about standing up for pro-life health care workers and institutions. We thank President Trump and Secretary Azar for their commitment to fighting discrimination. We also continue to urge Congress to enact a private right of action so victims can seek relief in court in the future, no matter who holds power in Washington.”
SBA List is a network of more than 700,000 pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.
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