President Joe Biden and his administration are reversing a measure that protected health care workers from having to violate their religious or moral beliefs.
Former President Donald Trump introduced the “conscience rule” in 2018 as a way to safeguard the religious rights of medical professionals who object to performing controversial procedures such as abortions.
According to Politico, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services affirmed that the policy change has been initiated.
“HHS has made clear through the unified regulatory agenda that we are in the rulemaking process,” the spokesperson revealed.
Even though the conscience rule never went into effect due to litigation, the regulation was a bold step toward protecting religious freedom.
“We finalized new protections of conscience rights for physicians, pharmacists, nurses, teachers, students, and faith-based charities,” Trump had announced in 2018.
Some opposing the rule argued that it could undermine health care professionals and their ability to provide effective medical treatment. Critics also felt that it would deprive transgender patients and others from receiving medical attention.
CBN News previously reported that Biden vowed during and after the 2020 election to rescind many of the pro-life efforts that were introduced or backed by Trump.
In fact, just a few hours into his presidency, Biden struck at the heart of Trump’s conservative legacy in numerous ways. For example, Biden signed an executive order in Jan. 2021, reversing a rule by Trump that largely prohibited transgender people from joining the military.
Politico, which quoted sources familiar with the matter, reports that HHS could move to rescind the rule by the end of April.
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