It is not surprising that abortion-on-demand advocates are clamoring over the latest effort to protect the right of conscience of health care providers, but the proposed regulation provides needed protection for health care providers without endangering patient health.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated that the proposed regulation “would increase awareness of, and compliance with, three separate laws protecting federally funded health care providers’ right of conscience.”

As HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt explained, “Doctors and other health care providers should not be forced to choose between good professional standing and violating their conscience. Freedom of expression and action should not be surrendered upon the issuance of a health care degree.” In addition, HHS Assistant Secretary of Health, Admiral Joxel Garcia, M.D., said that “[m]any health care providers routinely face pressure to change their medical practice – often in direct opposition to their personal convictions.”

HHS sought to counter the exaggerations of the pro-abortion opponents of the regulation:

“While it would strengthen provider conscience rights, the proposed regulation would in no way restrict health care providers from performing any legal service or procedure. If a procedure is legal, a patient will still have the ability to access that service from a medical professional or institution that does not assert a conflict of conscience. For example, the proposed regulation does not affect the ability of private clinics to provide abortion services in accordance with the law.”

In other words, the regulation protects health care providers’ right of conscience without affecting patient health. There is no reason why a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist’s sincerely held belief that human life begins at conception and is deserving of dignity should cost them their job.