Trump administration announces protections for pro-life medical workers


The Trump administration on Thursday instituted new guidelines protecting pro-life medical workers. The new rules will protect medical professionals who oppose abortion, contraceptive use, or gender reassignment, allowing them to adhere to any personal objections they may have to facilitating those procedures without penalty.
Politico reported the coming announcement Tuesday, and it was confirmed by the Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday. A new department within HHS, called the "conscience and religious freedom division," will exist as a branch of the department's civil rights office for individuals to report "discrimination" against these pro-life workers, The New York Times reported.
Conservative groups celebrated the initiative, saying it properly shielded health-care workers from being compelled to betray their personal convictions. The Times noted that the HHS announcement occurred just one day before the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., an event celebrated by social conservatives that protests abortion.
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Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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