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Bush Administration Proposal Broadly Defines Abortion

Posted on: Wednesday, 16 July 2008, 11:50 CDT

A recent Bush administration memo that defines many common contraception methods as abortion has many family planning groups and at least one member of Congress calling foul.

The White House hopes the new proposal, which defines abortion to include many types of contraception, including birth control pills, will end federal funding to hospitals and states that offer legal abortion and contraception services to women.

Health and Human Services officials declined to confirm the proposal, but noted their responsibility to protect against discrimination of doctors and pharmacists who object to abortion or birth control on religious or moral grounds.

"This proposed rule will put women's access to birth control and the information they need to make health care decisions at risk," Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement.

"As a result, women's ability to manage their own health care is at risk of being compromised by politics and ideology."

New York Rep. Nita Lowey, a Democrat, said the proposal reaches beyond its boundaries.

"Federal law currently protects individuals who prefer not to provide abortion services," Lowey said in a statement.

"This draft regulation would significantly expand the definition of abortion to include birth control for the purpose of conscience clause exemptions. By trumping state laws that guarantee women's access to prescription contraceptives, this policy would encourage health care institutions seeking to limit access to birth control," she added.

A released copy of the memo, which appears to be an HHS provided draft, reads: "The Department proposes to define abortion as 'any of the various procedures -- including the prescription and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action -- that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation,'" it said.

The new proposal comes in response to recently-enacted state laws put in place to ensure that women can get contraception when they want or need it.

"Despite the fact that several conscience statutes protecting health care entities from discrimination have been in existence for decades, recent events suggest the public and people in the health care industry are largely uninformed of the protections," the draft reads.

"In May 2007, Connecticut passed a law requiring all hospitals to distribute Plan B to rape victims, despite religious organizations' objections to the abortifacient nature of the drug.”

HHS spokeswoman Christina Pearson said she could not comment on potential regulations.

"I would note that, over the past three decades, Congress has passed several anti-discrimination laws to protect institutional and individual health care providers participating in federal programs," she said by e-mail.

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On the Net:

• Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

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