According to a US government assessment, a new initiative has been taken by President Trump and his administration to enact protections of the civil rights of U.S. health personnel who oppose partaking in abortions. In addition, supplementary health care practices allegedly will cost around $300,000,000 in setting up the new department division within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), WSBRadio.com reported on Monday.
Over forty grievances have been recorded since President Donald Trump took office in which there were charges of infringement of principles and religious civil liberties.
About 18,000,000 citizens’ are employed in the U.S. healthcare system. Susan Fogel, a critic and an attorney who works for the non-profit NHeLP stated that from her point of view, this initiative is just looking for a crisis.
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)
While the federal government has a Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which protects religion and the rights of one’s own conscience, social conservatives have been very vocal for the enforcement of the RFRA, in which VP Mike Pence has been a steadfast supporter of such rights.
Roger Severino, a former contributor to The Heritage Foundation and now Dir. of the HHS civil rights office in an interview stated, “For too long, conscience and religious freedom were regarded as second-class rights.” Severino continued and said now they are getting the proper attention they, the health workers, merit.
His office is planning to focus on those issues that pertain to abortion, euthanasia, and any other types of medical procedures that may violate a medical worker's religious beliefs or their ethics rights.
All areas of the healthcare industry will see a combined cost of the new directive to be over $311,000,000 followed by about $125,000,000 per year afterwards.
At the federal level, the cost is estimated to be about $900k per year. Severino also stated that his office is working to try and make the burden within the Health Care System as gentle as possible and stated that the requirements for the healthcare industry and what is being proposed is similar to other federal laws concerning discrimination and it’s just ordinary civic rights stuff.
Outside of numerous social conservative groups, those who are supportive of this health care initiative include the National Right to Life (NRL) and the Family Research Council (FRC). Women groups and the LGBT movement have already been reported to oppose the health care initiative due to their views that a clinician would use their religious beliefs to deny medical care to some patients. Severino stated that all complaints will be reviewed and that just because someone is a part of the LGBT community, they need to rest assured that their complaints will not be excluded. He also said that America’s founding fathers understood that a country that values principles rights is more diverse and freer and that he and his office is helping to make that concept a certainty for all U.S.
citizens.
Nurse forced to partake in an abortion procedure
While the industry is viewing the changes carefully, a nurse, Cathy DeCarlo, in New York, was forced to partake in a late-term abortion procedure eight years ago although her hospital employer was aware of her religious beliefs concerning abortion.
She said it took quite a few years for the federal government’s healthcare division to examine her grievance. Her complaint was finally acknowledged and approved, and as a result, her employer had to modify their hospital procedural policies.
Nonetheless, she stated that the long wait was upsetting. Her colleagues who supported her were frightened to come forward since her complaint appeared to be going nowhere.
DeCarlo said that without this new initiative, the healthcare industry can force anyone to perform a procedure that goes against what they may believe in. She further stated that her rights were infringed upon but that she had no other option and that she is glad the federal government is now focusing on citizen’s religious and their conscience rights so they won’t have to choose between their employment and their individual principles.
