U.S. government creates health division for ‘religious freedom’

By Toni Clarke

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. government is seeking to further protect the “conscience and religious freedom” of health workers whose beliefs prevent them from carrying out abortions and other procedures, in an effort likely to please conservative Christian activists and other supporters of President Donald Trump.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Thursday it will create a division within its Office of Civil Rights to give it “the focus it needs to more vigorously and effectively enforce existing laws protecting the rights of conscience and religious freedom.”

Healthcare workers, hospitals with religious affiliations, and medical students among others have been “bullied” by the federal government to provide these services despite existing laws on religious and conscience rights, the top HHS official said.

“The federal government has hounded religious hospitals…forcing them to provide services that violate their consciences,” Acting HHS Secretary Eric Hargan said. “Medical students too have learned to do procedures that violate their consciences.”

Politico reported on Wednesday that the department is aiming to give protections for workers who do not want to provide abortions, care for transgender patients seeking to transition, or perform other procedures because of moral or religious grounds.

The move is likely to upset reproductive rights advocates and some Democrats.

The division would enforce the legal protection and conduct compliance reviews, audits and other enforcement actions to ensure that health care providers are allowing workers with religious or moral objections to opt out.

The creation of the division is in accordance with an executive order signed by Trump last May called “Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty.” The order was followed by new rules aimed at removing a legal mandate that health insurance provide contraception.

(Additional reporting by Caroline Humer; Editing by Alistair Bell)

HHS Confirms Abortions Offered To Illegal Immigrants

The Department of Health and Human Services has admitted that illegal alien unaccompanied minors who have been given status to stay in the U.S. by the Obama Administration will be offered free abortions.

The HHS issued a regulation that does not specifically mention abortion as a required emergency medical service but an officials from Administration for Children and Families told CNSNews.com that abortion is one of those offered services.

“The ‘lawful pregnancy-related medical services’ includes abortion,” the email statement said.

The HHS regulations also includes giving emergency contraception such as Plan B.

“Care provider facilities must provide UC victims of sexual abuse timely, unimpeded access to emergency medical treatment, crisis intervention services, emergency contraception, and sexually transmitted infections prophylaxis, in accordance with professionally accepted standards of care, where appropriate under medical or mental health professional standards,” reads one regulation that must be followed by caregivers for the illegal immigrant children.

The Health and Human Service’s Office of Refuge Resettlement acknowledged there could be religious objections to the policy and they would try to work with them but the needs of the patient will be considered first.

Obama Administration Decision Angers Pro-Abortion Activists

Pro-abortion activists are suing the Obama Administration over a decision by the head of Health and Human Services to ignore an FDA recommendation to allow the abortion pill Plan B to underage women over the counter.

The president of the Center for Reproductive Rights sent an e-mail to supporters accusing HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of “playing politics” and said they need leaders that listen only to science.

Pro-life advocates have been watching the situation with interest.  Continue reading