HEALTHCARE/HHS/RELIGION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump on Thursday [5-2-19] announced an expanded ‘conscience rule’ to protect health care workers who oppose abortion, sterilization, assisted suicide and other medical procedures on religious or moral grounds. The rule establishes guidelines for punishing health care institutions with the loss of federal funds if they fail to respect the rights of such workers…After the 440-page rule was released, some groups said they feared the provisions were overly broad and could imperil care for patients seeking reproductive health care. They also said it could lead to discrimination against gay or transgender patients and their children, and weaken public health efforts to expand childhood vaccinations…The rule was issued by the Department of Health and Human Services’s Office for Civil Rights, which has been substantially expanded under President Trump. The administration has created a conscience and religious freedom division within the office, and the president’s budget sought to expand its funding.”
–Margot Sanger-Katz, “Trump Administration Strengthens ‘Conscience Rule’ for Health Care Workers,” The New York Times online, May 2, 2019