U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer declared that the Department of Health and Human Services “exceeded its authority and ‘acted arbitrarily and capriciously’ in promoting it,” according to NPR.
ADVERTISEMENT The rule was set to take effect on November 22, which would have allowed health care providers to, for example, reject someone’s choice to get an abortion because their religious beliefs don’t align with it. It was said that if employers “did not comply with the rule,” their federal funding could possibly be withdrawn, as NPR reported.
Of course, this rule is absolutely a form of discrimination. If the government were to allow a rule based on religious beliefs, it would end up going even further than abortions or gender reassignment surgery; it would eventually end up allowing people to refuse care because the person they would have to care for is of a different religion. To allow the personal views of health care workers to be prioritized over the needs of patients would be refusing someone what should be a human right.
It is so hard to wake up every day and see another careless decision made by the Trump administration: our president is deliberately choosing to get rid of laws that would have no reprecussions for a leathery, dry-skinned white man like himself. A conscience rule? That allows health care workers to be xenophobic, sexist, and racist — I could go on? And it was going to be implemented by a group of people who have never even tried to use their conscience? What a genius idea for a movie villain.
The Creation Of The LGB Alliance Disregards The History Of Trans Activism Within Prominent LGBTQ+ MovementsKerry Cunningham is an editorial intern at BUST. She is a Chicago-raised Pisces who is doing her best and currently lives in New York. If anyone is looking to have a conversation, she is also looking to have one.