HHS ISSUES "CONSCIENCE RIGHTS IN HEALTH CARE" RULE TO PROTECT RELIGIOUS OBJECTORS TO ABORTION, ASSISTED SUICIDE

HHS ISSUES "CONSCIENCE RIGHTS IN HEALTH CARE" RULE TO PROTECT RELIGIOUS OBJECTORS TO ABORTION, ASSISTED SUICIDE

BY HEATHER CLARK

SEE: https://christiannews.net/2019/05/03/hhs-issues-conscience-rights-in-health-care-rule-to-protect-religious-objectors-to-abortion-assisted-suicide/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:

WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has announced the issuance of a final rule that is meant to ensure the protection of the conscience rights of medical professionals and others who have objections to abortion or physician-assisted suicide.

“Finally, laws prohibiting government-funded discrimination against conscience and religious freedom will be enforced like every other civil rights law,” OCR Director Roger Severino said in a statement.

“This rule ensures that healthcare entities and professionals won’t be bullied out of the healthcare field because they decline to participate in actions that violate their conscience, including the taking of human life,” he explained. “Protecting conscience and religious freedom not only fosters greater diversity in healthcare, it’s the law.”

According to Severino’s office, the rule protects healthcare facilities that decline to perform or refer for abortions, as well as professionals who decline to receive training in abortion. Patients who have objections to mental health treatment of children or occupational illness testing are also protected under the law.



The updated rule provides clarification on existing federal conscience protection laws as passed by Congress, and requires healthcare entities to keep records documenting compliance with such statutes, as well as to to submit certifications to HHS that they are indeed following the law.

OCR says that the rule is necessary because some remain confused about whether or not federal or state laws require individuals to participate in abortions or sterlizations, despite the existence of protections such as the Weldon Amendment and the Coats-Snowe Amendment.

“For instance, some advocacy organizations have filed lawsuits claiming that federal or state laws require private religious entities to perform abortions and sterilizations despite the existence of longstanding conscience and anti‐discrimination protections on this topic,” the department outlined in its rule explanation.

“A patient also sued a secular public hospital for accommodating doctors’ and nurses’ religious objections to abortion in alleged violation of a state law, Washington’s Reproductive Privacy Act,” it stated.

OCR explained that it believes the rule is also needed to educate the public, to encourage those with religious convictions to remain in the healthcare industry, and to urge those whose rights may be violated to file a complaint.

According to reports, HHS received 242,000 comments from the public on the proposed rule, some of whom expressed concern that it would adversely affect women, homosexuals and those who identify as transgender.

“Denying kids health care because they have two moms is not religious liberty. Denying patients IVF because they are unmarried is not religious liberty. Denying patients surgery because they are trans is not religious liberty,” the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) tweeted on Thursday. “Discrimination is not religious liberty.”

However, a number of healthcare professionals who found themselves having to choose between their job or their convictions due to employers who expected them to assist with abortions applauded the development.

“I’ll never forget the day my supervisor ignored the law and forced me to participate in an abortion. I still have nightmares about that day,” said Cathy DeCarlo in a statement released by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). “As an immigrant to America because of the freedom and opportunity I saw here, today I’m hopeful that HHS’ new rule will help make sure that no other nurses or health care professionals will be forced to go through what I did and that their rights will be protected.”

“After 28 years of working as a critical care and emergency room nurse, I never imagined my employer would force me to choose between taking the life of an unborn child and losing my job. But 11 other nurses and I were ordered to assist in abortion even though it violated our religious convictions and contradicted our calling as a medical professional to protect life,” also outlined Fe Esperanza Racpan Vinoya.

“Both New Jersey and federal law prohibited this discrimination. But those laws are only as effective as the willingness of government officials to enforce them,” she added. “Today’s rule helps enforce the law just like any other civil rights law and protect people like me who love serving our patients.”

NEW YORK: AFTER SIGNING OF BILL ALLOWING ABORTION UP UNTIL BIRTH, GROUP PUSHES TO LEGALIZE ASSISTED SUICIDE

In the photo, from left to right: 

Corinne Carey and Amanda Cavanaugh of Compassion & Choices New York; Richard N. Gottfried, Chair of the Assembly Health Committee; 

Dr. David Pratt of Schenectady; 

and Bonnie Edelstein of Death with Dignity–Albany

 

ABOVE: DEMOCRAT N.Y. SENATOR DIANE SAVINO OF STATEN ISLAND

SEE: https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/diane-j-savino

Contact Senator Diane J. Savino's Office

DISTRICT OFFICE

36 Richmond Terrace Suite 112

Staten Island, NY 10301

Phone: (718) 727-9406

Fax: (718) 727-9426

map

DISTRICT OFFICE 2

2872 West 15th Street

Brooklyn, NY 11224-2602

Phone: (718) 333-0311

Fax: (347) 492-3263

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ALBANY OFFICE

188 State Street315 Legislative Office Bldg

Albany, NY 12247

Phone: 518-455-2437

Fax: 518-426-6943

map

EMAIL ADDRESS:

Savino@nysenate.gov

ABOVE: DEMOCRAT N.Y. ASSEMBLYWOMAN 

AMY PAULIN OF WESTCHESTER

SEE: https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Amy-Paulin

District Office

700 White Plains Rd. 

Suite 252

Scarsdale, NY 10583

914-723-1115

District Office Directions

Albany Office

LOB 422

Albany, NY 12248

518-455-5585

Albany Office Directions

AFTER SIGNING OF BILL ALLOWING ABORTION UP UNTIL BIRTH, GROUP PUSHES TO LEGALIZE 

ASSISTED SUICIDE IN N.Y.

BY HEATHER CLARK

SEE: https://christiannews.net/2019/01/29/after-signing-of-bill-allowing-abortion-up-until-birth-group-pushes-to-legalize-assisted-suicide-in-n-y/; 

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:

ALBANY, N.Y. — A week after New York governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill codifying the “right” to an abortion in state law—and allowing abortion up to birth in cases where the baby is not expected to survive or to “protect” the health or life of the mother—a group has again launched a campaign to legalize physician-assisted suicide in the state following the reintroduction of a bill surrounding “medical aid in dying.”

The New York chapter of the group known as Compassion & Choices held a press conference and rally at the state capitol building on Monday to call for the passage of Assembly Bill 2694, which was filed last week by Senator Diane Savino, D-Staten Island, and Assemblymember Amy Paulin, D-Westchester.

The effort is not new, as the bill had likewise been introduced in years past, but Compassion & Choices has renewed its call to pass the legislation in New York State.

“Every press conference, I can’t help but think about my sister … who on her dying bed when she was stricken with ovarian cancer, would be yelling out, ‘When am I going to die already?'” Paulin stated. “My sister would have chosen life. That’s the irony. Aid in dying patients would choose life, but their cancer, their disease, their bodies are choosing otherwise.”

“And who would not want to be able to make choices when you are the most vulnerable, when you are the most at risk, and when you are suffering in pain?” she asked. “… When there are no meds that can help alleviate that, when you know that you are going to die within a week, within days, within minutes, you want to relieve yourself of that pain. And the only thing you can do many times is this option. Why wouldn’t we give it to the residents of our state like they have done in other places?”

A. 2694 allows for physicians to prescribe fatal medication to adults who have a terminal illness, defined as an “incurable or irreversible illness or condition” that will “within reasonable medical judgment, produce death within six months.”

Under the measure, the patient is required to submit both an oral and written request to die to his or her attending physician. The written request must be signed by two witnesses, who attest that the person made the decision of their own volition and without coercion, and one may not be a relative or the employee of the facility where the patient is receiving treatment.

The attending physician is also mandated to discuss all of the available options with the individual, including palliative care and hospice. The physician may not write the prescription without first “offering the qualified individual an opportunity to rescind the request.”

The patient is permitted to decline to inform their family that they have chosen to die via a lethal prescription.

Read the bill in full here.

While part of the goal of Monday’s press conference was to announce the results of a stated poll by WebMD/Medscape, which claims that doctors in New York state support having the option of physician-assisted suicide 56 to 26 percent, the New York Alliance Against Assisted Suicide noted in a press release that the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY) still opposes doctor-prescribed death.

“Despite shifts in favor of physician-assisted suicide as evidenced by its legality in an increasing number of states, physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia have not been part of the normative practice of modern medicine,” MSSNY writes on its website. “Compelling arguments have not been made for medicine to change its footing and to incorporate the active shortening of life into the norms of medical practice.”

“Although relief of suffering has always been a fundamental duty in medical practice, relief of suffering through shortening of life has not. Moreover, the social and societal implications of such a fundamental change cannot be fully contemplated,” it outlines. “MSSNY supports all appropriate efforts to promote patient autonomy, promote patient dignity, and to relieve suffering associated with severe and advanced diseases. Physicians should not perform euthanasia or participate in assisted suicide.”

Diane Coleman, the president of Not Dead Yet, also expressed concern that because of the cost of healthcare, some might choose assisted suicide because it is the cheapest way out.

“We live with a profit-driven healthcare system facing tremendous cost-cutting pressures. Assisted suicide is the cheapest ‘treatment,’” she sad in a statement. “These bills grant legal immunity to doctors and others who assist suicides of people who may have a terminal condition. They do not prevent mistakes, coercion or abuse and, therefore, endanger the lives of old, ill and disabled people.”

In addition to A. 2694, Assembly bill 30 has been filed, which would direct the commissioner of the State Department of Health to to “conduct a study relating to medical aid in dying,” and Senate bill 647 would prohibit insurance companies from covering the lethal drug so as to avoid swaying the ailing patient.

Physician-assisted suicide is currently legal in seven states—California, Colorado, Montana, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington—as well as the District of Columbia.

While there is much talk about bodily autonomy surrounding both the issue of abortion and physician-assisted suicide, Scripture states in 2 Corinthians 5:15, “He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again.”

Job 14:5 also outlines, “Seeing [man’s] days are determined, the number of his months are with Thee, Thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass.”

_______________________________________________________________

"A GENTLE DEATH"

SEE: https://compassionandchoices.org/resource/a-gentle-death/
_______________________________________________________________

New York Passes Radical Abortion Law, But World is Becoming More Pro-Life!!!

New Abortion Law in New York is Outrageous!

How To Schedule Abortion At Nine Months Pregnant!

Infowars Reporter Millie Weaver challenges the Democrat talking point that "late-term abortions are only available for medical emergencies" by showing she was able to schedule an abortion appointment in her 9th month of pregnancy simply using the vague excuse of depression.

VOTE NO: DELAWARE'S ASSISTED SUICIDE BILL HB160 BEING VOTED ON~IS LIFE MORE PRECIOUS THAN MONEY? OR IS IT CHEAPER TO KILL THAN TO CARE?

DELAWARE'S ASSISTED SUICIDE BILL HB160 BEING VOTED ON~

IS LIFE MORE PRECIOUS THAN MONEY? 

OR IS IT CHEAPER TO KILL THAN TO CARE?

 Dying patients need love, not help to kill themselves, with Michael Brescia M.D. 6/14/16

 Croton-on-Hudson, New York. June 14, 2016. Dr. Brescia's passion for medicine comes from his exceptional sensitivity for the human condition. Dr. Brescia's storied career spans decades of seemingly miraculous developments in patient care, bio-medical sciences and technology. He is renowned for his contribution to the creation of the Brescia-Cimino Fistula, the most common means utilized for hemodialysis over the last 40 years, making this life saving treatment available to millions. He was instrumental in securing full accreditation for Calvary Hospital in the 1960s and has been the driving force behind many of its most successful initiatives including The Palliative Care Institute, The Center for Curative & Palliative Wound Care, and its Hospice, Home Care, and Nursing Home Hospice. Calvary's Inpatient service and Outpatient Clinic are models for national and international palliative care programs.

 DR. BRESCIA

Dr. Brescia is a kidney doctor with decades of experience with treating life-threatening illness. He has developed breakthough technologies that took "terminal" out of thousands of people's diagnosis. With assisted suicide laws relying heavily on correct diagnosis and prognosis, which are so often wrong, how can we risk a person's life on a guess?

 TELL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO VOTE NO ON HB160

Stephanie Packer was denied coverage for life saving cancer treatment but offered a prescription of Death Pills for only $1.20.

Dear John, Imagine getting a letter from your insurance company stating that they will cover your death pills or a "lethal jab" but not the treatment you need to live. ...That's exactly what happened to Stephanie Packer, who was denied coverage for life saving cancer treatment but offered a prescription of Death Pills for only $1.20.

...And Randy Stroup, a 54 year old man in Oregon who was denied treatment for prostate cancer but offered Suicide as a "palliative care" plan. ...And Barbara Wagoner of Oregon, whose insurance company decided to pay for death pills but not for the treatment needed to save her life. Why? Because it's cheaper to kill you than to care for you. High-quality pain management and palliative care can be complex and certainly more expensive than the lethal dose of drugs that House Bill 160 (HB160) would legalize. If assisted suicide is legalized in Delaware, it becomes a dangerously appealing means of medical cost control.

LIFE IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN MONEY - TELL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO VOTE NO ON HB160

Dr. Callister: "As much as insurance companies want to come across as your friend, it's a lot cheaper to grab a couple drugs and kill you than it is to provide life saving therapy."

It gets worse... HB 160 forces physicians to LIE on a patient's death certificate so the life insurance isn't affected. That's right. HB160 states that "The death certificate must list the underlying terminal illness as the cause of death," (line 95) when in fact, assisted suicide was the cause of death. This protects physicians, not patients. HB160 offers zero accountability. HB160 would also keep the public in the dark about the prevalence of assisted suicide and would ensure that suicide providers operate in secrecy with NO OVERSIGHT from any public health authority.

THERE IS ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY - TELL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO VOTE NO ON HB160

“Every time they ask a physician to prognosticate on life expectancy... it's usually wrong." -Dr. Bescia, Kidney Disease Expert and Co-inventor of Cimino-Brescia Fistula Hemodialysis

HB160 makes assisted suicide a "medical treatment" under law, using a slippery definition of "terminal disease" that could apply to something as easily treated as diabetes. Yes, diabetes. By definition it's an "incurable and irreversible disease." which, if untreated, could lead to death within six months. HB160 does not indicate whether "incurable and irreversible" disease means a disease that can't be treated. A treatable disease is considered terminal? That's a problem!

LIFE IS WORTH PROTECTING - TELL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO VOTE NO ON HB160

Randy Stroup, a 54 year old man in Oregon, was denied treatment for prostate cancer but offered Suicide as a "palliative care" plan.

Physicians have a responsibility to provide life giving care. Everyone deserves to have their dignity and worth affirmed and valued. HB160, however, in the recently proposed amendment, fabricates a way for people with disabilities to give "informed consent" to assisted suicide if a social worker says the patient understands. This is such blatant bigotry that it made national news this week. We're talking about people who can’t legally sign a contract, decide where they live, or make their own medical decisions - YET - if they have a "terminal" illness, they can "choose" assisted suicide as long as a social worker confirms that the patient “understands” the treatment. It doesn’t even require approval of a guardian, as would corrective surgery or palliative treatment.

PROTECT THE MOST VULNERABLE FROM ABUSE - TELL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO VOTE NO ON HB160

This bill is coming to a vote in the House, Thursday, Jan 25th.  Many representatives are on the fence, so they MUST hear from YOU immediately.  Tell your legislator that if he/she any doubts whatsoever, to please VOTE NO on HB160. Life is worth protecting and defending regardless of our state of health or medical prognosis.

Life Is Worth the Fight, Nicole Theis President, Delaware Family Policy Council (Eph 6:13)

More Stories:

When Oregon resident, Jeanette Hall, had less than a year to live, she asked her cancer doctor for the pills to commit suicide. Dr. Kenneth Stevens got to know her better and inspired her to consider treatment. The tumor just “melted away” and now -- 15 years later --

Barbara Wagonner's insurance company decided to pay for death pills but not for the treatment needed to save her life.

JJ was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. He fought for his wife, his son, and his life.

Born without arms, John Foppe speaks to a way of life beyond independence, namely inter-dependence: Together we are more. Assisted suicide sells everyone short, so in times of illness or disability, he encourages us to “step into life!”

You don’t discourage suicide by assisting suicide. “Every suicide is tragic – whether you’re old or young, healthy or sick, your life is worth living,” says Luke Maxwell, 19, who survived an attempt to take his own life.

Additional Resources: 

• The Truth About Physician-Assisted Suicide: It's Not as Dignified as It Seems
• Delaware Pushes Intellectually Disabled Assisted Suicide
• Life is Worth Fighting For
• Why You Should Oppose Assisted Suicide
• HB160 applies to people with years or decades to live
• Assisting persons with their own agenda. Doctors who hide malpractice
• If the patient objected or struggled, who would know? The Perfect Crime