National Day of Prayer: Trump launches new denominational protections for health care workers

President Trump announced Thursday new protections of "conscience" for health providers who refuse to provide services such as abortion, sterilization or assisted suicide during a speech in front of religious leaders gathered for the National Day of Prayer.

Conservative groups who have raised issues of religious freedom about such services have welcomed the rule, which was first proposed last year, as LGBT groups, women's groups and freedom fighters Civilians fear others will refuse to offer certain treatments, or treat homosexuals and transgender people, among others.

The Ministry of Health and Social Services released Thursday the latest rule protecting people and entities who give up care because of their religious beliefs. It explicitly mentions abortion, sterilization, assisted suicide, advance directives as a problem and will allow them to refrain from providing, to participate, to pay, to provide coverage or to to return such services.

HHS stated that the existing protections were "found to be inadequate" and that the new rule guaranteed that the agency would have access to "the complete set of appropriate tools to implement the conscientious protections adopted by Congress ".

The rule extends the powers of the HHS Civil Rights Office – requiring health care entities to maintain records, report and cooperate with OCR requests.

"Finally, the laws prohibiting discrimination against conscience and the freedom of religion funded by the government will be enforced like all other civil rights laws," said Roger Severino, director of the OCR, in a statement.

Since being proposed for the first time last year, the proposal has attracted much criticism from civil rights claiming it will cover discrimination.

"This is a vicious and underhand attack on the health and lives of patients, especially women and LGBTQ people," said Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of the National Women's Law Center, in a statement. communicated.

But it has drawn praise from religious conservatives who are a key part of the president's base.

"No health worker should be forced to choose between his practice or his religion. This principle is written into countless laws and regulations, but it has been violated for far too long, "said Ashley McGuire, a senior member of the Catholic Association.

The rule represents Trump's latest effort to highlight religious freedom claims when they come into conflict with issues such as access to medical care. The Congress passed 25 provisions protecting the right of conscience in health care. HHS officials claim that they have been improperly applied. This new rule clarifies these protections and includes an additional application.

"Conscience of conscience" has become a flashpoint in debates on cultural warfare in recent decades. In a highly publicized battle against the Obama administration, several religious institutions opposed the HHS mandate that employers must cover employees' contraception.

Under President Barack Obama, HHS replaced a rule of President George W. Bush interpreted as allowing medical personnel to evade a wide range of medical services. Obama's narrower version has left long-standing federal protections for workers who oppose abortion or sterilization, while maintaining the possibility for workers to file a complaint.

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