{"id":2502,"date":"2013-03-06T00:54:00","date_gmt":"2013-03-06T00:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/lawmakers-medical-workers-speak-up-on-conscience-bill\/"},"modified":"2013-03-06T00:54:00","modified_gmt":"2013-03-06T00:54:00","slug":"lawmakers-medical-workers-speak-up-on-conscience-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/03\/lawmakers-medical-workers-speak-up-on-conscience-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers, medical workers speak up on conscience bill"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Washington D.C., Mar 5, 2013 \/ 05:54 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Members of Congress and individuals who have been forced to violate their consciences came together to stress the need for a federal law protecting religious freedom in the field of health care.<\/p>\n

\tHighlighting the importance of conscience protections for all individuals, Rep. Diane Black, (R-Tenn.) explained that religious freedom means more than \u201cgoing to church on Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tBlack spoke at a March 5 press conference in Washington D.C., following her introduction of the Health Care Conscience Rights Act the previous day. The legislation aims to protect the conscience rights of healthcare workers, employers and individuals who are morally opposed to cooperation with the provision of contraceptives, sterilization and abortion.<\/p>\n

\tReps. Jeff Fortenberry (R- Neb.) and John Flemming (R- La.), who are among 50 initial co-sponsors of the bill, also spoke at the press conference.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tFlemming, who previously worked as a family physician, argued that there is \u201cno excuse for this assault on our First Amendment Rights, no excuse for this assault on our conscience protections.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHe described the protections of the \u201cfreedom of religion \u2013 which is really freedom of conscience\u201d provided by the bill.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tThe proposed law, Flemming explained, \u201capplies a long-standing policy of conscience rights\u201d to the Affordable Care Act, particularly its mandate requiring employers to offer health insurance plans covering contraception, sterilizations and some early abortion drugs.<\/p>\n

\tIn addition, the bill would protect health care workers from discrimination if they chose not to participate in procedures they find unconscionable.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tIt would further give medical personnel specific standing in court, enabling them to file lawsuits if they are illegally forced to undergo abortion training and assistance against their conscience.<\/p>\n

\tThis last provision of the legislation will protect individuals such as Cathy Cenzon-DeCarlo, a nurse who filed suit after she was forced to participate in the abortion of a 22-week-old pre-born infant or face termination of employment.<\/p>\n

\tDeCarlo, a Filipino immigrant to the United States, said that the hospital where she worked knew that \u201cas a faithful Catholic, I would not assist in the killing of a pre-born child,\u201d yet the state-funded hospital forced her into a position she described as \u201ca horror film unfolding before my eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI felt violated and betrayed,\u201d she explained, \u201cbut I felt violated all over again when the courts told me that I had no right to have my day in court.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cPatients and doctors should be able to choose healthcare that heals instead of kills,\u201d DeCarlo said of her hopes for the proposed legislation.<\/p>\n

\tShe added that without protections to prevent similar violations in the future, \u201cthis country would no longer be the America of my dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tAlso speaking at the press conference was Sister Jane Marie Klein, OSF, who chairs the board of Franciscan Alliance, Inc., which is one of more than 130 plaintiffs suing the current administration over the mandate.<\/p>\n

\tSr. Klein said that allowing these violations of conscience to persist would \u201churt many patients most in need of help and care\u201d and threaten the existence of many religious healthcare providers.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe need your help in keeping our Catholic healthcare system alive,\u201d she pleaded.<\/p>\n

\tCongressman Fortenberry also offered comments, saying that government should respect healthcare workers, recognizing that \u201cthe very purpose of healthcare is for healing, not to create ethical divisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHe also quoted President Barack Obama \u2013 whose administration is responsible for the mandate \u2013 agreeing that \u201cwe should not leave our values at the door\u201d and should protect those values in the law.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cNo American should be forced to choose between their faith and their job,\u201d Fortenberry stressed.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

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Washington D.C., Mar 5, 2013 \/ 05:54 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Members of Congress and individuals who have been forced to violate their consciences came together to stress the need for a federal law protecting religious freedom in the field of health care….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nLawmakers, medical workers speak up on conscience bill<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Washington D.C., Mar 5, 2013 \/ 05:54 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Members of Congress and individuals who have been forced to violate their consciences came together to stress the need for a federal law protecting religious freedom in the field of health care....\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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