President Trump Exempts Pro-Life Medical Professionals From Having to Perform Abortions

President Donald Trump issued new federal regulations to allow doctors, nurses and other medical professionals to abstain from performing abortions, with the decision announced yesterday to help commemorate National Prayer Day.

Life News gives the context of President Trump’s new pro-life regulations:

Despite current law that has protected conscience rights for over 30 years, the lack of regulations resulted in confusion and a lack of awareness within the healthcare community, leaving healthcare personnel vulnerable to discrimination and forcing them to drop their specialties at a time of healthcare scarcity.

The 440 pages of new regulations, issued by HHS Secretary Alex Azar, provide regulatory backbone to the First Amendment conscience rights of Americans working in the medical profession and will help ensure that no doctor or nurse will be be forced to violate their conscience while serving patients.

Although the Constitution and numerous federal laws provide robust protections for the conscience rights of medical professionals, these laws are being violated as doctors, nurses, and medical students are being compelled to participate in abortion.

While civil rights had grown to become a euphemism for leftist public policy initiatives before Trump became President, that has changed quickly under 45. The civil rights of Christians are now being protected, and they are no longer being treated like second-class citizens.

“This rule ensures that healthcare entities and professionals won’t be bullied out of the health care field because they decline to participate in actions that violate their conscience, including the taking of human life,” said Roger Severino, who leads the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Civil Rights, in a public statement. “Protecting conscience and religious freedom not only fosters greater diversity in health care, it’s the law.

“Laws prohibiting government funded discrimination against conscience and religious freedom will be enforced like every other civil rights law,” Severino added.

Pro-life groups are heralding this move that vindicates their support of Trump, who Never Trumpers like neocon pundit Ben Shapiro claimed was a Planned Parenthood proponent and enemy of the pro-life cause before the 2016 presidential election.

“On this National Day of Prayer, many healthcare providers have an answer to their prayers. President Trump announced today new regulations that will enforce over two-dozen federal laws so that healthcare professionals won’t be forced to choose between their moral beliefs and their desire to help patients,” Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said.

“President Trump’s efforts reflect a long history in American constitutional law about the morality of conscience rights. Unfortunately, the previous administration had little concern for protecting the conscience rights of doctors, nurses, and residents,” Perkins added.

“Protecting the right of all healthcare providers to make professional judgments based on moral convictions and ethical standards is foundational to federal law and is necessary to ensure that access to healthcare is not diminished, which would occur if they were forced out of their jobs because of their ethical stances,” he said.

Other pro-life groups such as The Catholic Association and National Right to Life praised Trump’s move in statements given to Life News.

“There are many statutes that would protect the conscience rights of health care workers, such as the Weldon amendment. Unfortunately, the previous administration refused to enforce them and looked the other way when violated. We thank President Trump and his administration for enforcing these laws and protecting health care workers who object to participating in the taking of innocent human life. We applaud the president for following through on another promise,” said Carol Tobias, President of National Right to Life.

“No healthcare worker should ever be forced to choose between their practice or their faith. That principle is enshrined in countless laws and regulations but has been violated for far too long. Today’s regulation restates our nation’s commitment to conscience rights in the healthcare industry,” said Ashley McGuire, a Senior Fellow with The Catholic Association.

For the first time in quite a few years, the pro-life movement has an ally in the White House who is willing to put his neck out there to protect the individual rights of Christians.

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