‘Religious conscience’ rule for health care providers draws court challenge

Washington CNN — A broad coalition of women’s reproductive rights groups and LGBT health organizations is asking a court to strike down a new rule issued by Trump administration that excuses religious and moral objectors from participating in or paying for services such as abortion, sterilization and assisted suicide. In a complaint filed Tuesday, the groups argue that if the rule were to go into effect, it would “encourage health care workers to deny medical treatment to patients because of personal religious or moral beliefs.” “The rule is intentionally unworkable for health care facilities, including hospitals, and may result in these facilities doing away with reproductive and LGBTQ services altogether to avoid losing government funding,” legal groups representing the plaintiffs said in a statement. “The rule is extremely broad and contains no limits on who is at risk of being denied treatment, even for those in need of emergency care.” Lambda Legal senior attorney Jamie Gliksberg argued that the rule would “inevitably result in women, LGBT people and religious minorities facing hostile health care workers and denials of medical care at moments of greatest need.” “The breadth of the harm this new rule will cause is impossible to exaggerate, and opens up yet another front in the Trump Administration’s assault on civil rights of minorities and already marginalized, vulnerable populations,” Gliksberg said. When the final rule was issued earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights said in a statement that it replaces one from 2011 that it deemed “inadequate.” The administration says the rule will protect individuals and health care entities from unwanted involvement with services such as abortion, sterilization or assisted suicide.