The Conscience Rule Survives

Despite some earlier suggestions that the Obama administration may implement a substantial roll-back of the "conscious rule" for health care workers, recent comments by the President suggest a more limited retreat from the recent Bush expansion of the right to refuse to perform procedures workers object to.  As even the earlier reports noted may be the case, Obama appears to be heading for a move to keep a conscious objection for abortion and some other services--which had existed for a while--but roll-back a Bush rule that drastically expanded the objection to all violations of an employee's "personal, moral or religious beliefs."

It's not clear what the new rule will look like, as Health and Human Services is still reviewing the situation. 

Stay tuned.

-JH