The Trump administration creates new religious and moral protections for health workers

The Trump administration employs to strengthen the rights of health care workers who have religious and moral objections to certain procedures such as abortions.

A policy announced Thursday would develop general rules to protect health workers and institutions from violating their religious or moral beliefs by participating in abortions, providing them with contraception, sterilization or any other procedure.

President TrumpDonald John TrumpThe Conservatives seize hold of the State of Alabama Dem comments on abortion by the NYT publisher after the publication of a cartoon depicting Anti-Semitic Tropes Wall Street Journal editorial board: Dems denounces Barr for "acting like a real Attorney General" made this announcement for the first time at the Rose Garden during a ceremony on the occasion of the National Day of Prayer.

The rule represents a major victory for Christian and anti-abortion groups who are close allies of the administration.

The rules also align with the new mission statement of the Bureau of Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Health and Social Services, which was revised this week to focus on the protection of "conscience and religious freedom".

"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. "This rule ensures that health entities and health professionals will not be intimidated by the health sector because they refuse to participate in actions that violate their conscience, including the killing of people."