Congressional doctors fight Obama plan to overturn healthcare conscience rights protection; Comment email address DEFUNCT

3/10, 11:10a: Although the proposed rescission was posted online March 7, the official printed publication date is today, March 10. Staff for the Department of Health and Human Services has informed our people that the email address for comment, proposedrescission@hhs.gov, is now active. Deadline for submitting comments is April 9.
_______________

3/7: Read yesterday's post for background.

I received word yesterday that the email address provided by HHS for comments to Barack Obama's plan to overturn enforcement of healthcare providers' conscience rights - which only last 30 days - was no good. Day 2, and it's still no good:

hhs dead address.jpg

The rule change request was dated March 5, 2009, and it stated...

You may submit comments in one of four ways (no duplicates, please):

1. Electronically. You may submit electronic comments on this regulation to http://www.Regulations.gov or via email to proposedrescission@hhs.gov. To submit electronic comments to http://www.Regulations.gov, go to the Web site and click on the
link "Comment or Submission" and enter the keywords "Rescission Proposal."

But there is no "Comment or Submission" link on the web site home page. Searching for "Ensuring That Department of Health and Human Services Funds Do Not Support Coercive or Discriminatory Policies or Practices in Violation of Federal Law" will find you the December rule with no means of commenting. Checking the box, "Select to find documents accepting comments or submissions," gets you nothing.

Giving benefit of doubt, perhaps comments are not intended to begin until a later date. Will watch.

fleming coburn.jpgMeanwhile, two members of Congress who are physicians have begun circulating letters urging President Obama not to rescind the regulation.

  • Rep. John Fleming, MD, (R-LA). Letter here. Members wishing to co-sign the letter should contact Michelle.Kirtley@mail.house.gov no later than noon on April 3.

  • Sen. Tom Coburn, MD, (R-OK) is circulating a letter for Senators to sign. Letter here. The Senate letter will be sent early next week.

    I appreciate that congressional pro-life doctors are taking up this cause. Call your congressman and encourage him/her to sign.

    This line from HHS's plan to rescind Bush's rule pinpoints the insanity. After admitting laws have existed since 1973 protecting healthcare providers' right of conscience, it states:

    No statutory provision, however, requires promulgation of a rule...

    In other words, they're claiming that just because laws exist doesn't mean they have to be enforced.


  • Comments:

    "Delivery to the following recipients was aborted..."

    And how.

    Posted by: John Jansen at March 7, 2009 7:40 AM


    Ew...

    Posted by: Jill Stanek at March 7, 2009 8:11 AM


    It is important to be aware of the consequences of trying to force medical personnel to perform abortions despite conscientious objections to doing so. What will happen is many of the best and brightest young people who are planning on entering health professions will decide to never enter health care and will choose other career paths. One example I personally know of is my talented niece, who wants to be a doctor. If she is forced to participate in abortion in medical school, or in her career, she will quit. Many current health care providers will quit rather than be forced to commit homicide, which is how they view abortion.

    The result of all this would be a shortage of doctors and nurses, and an average lower quality of those who do practice, since many bright young people with great potential chose other career paths. Health care will become less available to all.

    We need to admit that for millions upon millions of Americans, abortion is not considered health care and never will be

    Posted by: Mary at March 7, 2009 4:21 PM


    I'm glad the links aren't working yet. Kept me from making an impulsive mistake. I took the time to read page 3 of the rules change request pdf and saw that "All comments received before the close of the comment period are available for viewing by the public, including any personally identifiable or confidential business information that is included in a comment. We post all comments received before the close of the comment period on the following Web site as soon as possible ..."

    I looked at the fine print at Regulations.gov and concluded that non-electronic submissions may also be published online. Seems to be at the discretion of the department or agency.

    Don't know about you, but I don't want my home or business address published online with my comment. Don't want employer info published either. Safest thing seems to be creating an email address solely for this purpose and sending email via proxy.

    Remember what happened with prop 8 donor info? Doesn't make sense to volunteer personal details that can be easily retrieved for malicious purposes.

    Posted by: Fed Up at March 7, 2009 8:44 PM


    Remember what happened with prop 8 donor info? Doesn't make sense to volunteer personal details that can be easily retrieved for malicious purposes.
    Posted by: Fed Up at March 7, 2009 8:44 PM

    I didn't see any malicious purposes with the Prop 8 donor information. Unless you mean boycotts of businesses owned by immoral people.

    Posted by: Hal at March 9, 2009 9:31 AM


    Hal, not taking your bait and posting specifics here. Perhaps you don't see because you choose not to.

    Posted by: Fed Up at March 9, 2009 11:33 AM


    Hey, "reality" - this is it.
    Barry O breaks yet another promise to the American people.
    The punk can't even take email from those who disagree.

    Posted by: Gerry at March 9, 2009 12:57 PM


    Unless you mean boycotts of businesses owned by immoral people.

    Posted by: Hal at March 9, 2009 9:31 AM


    Oh, THAT'S rich.

    Posted by: Kristen at March 10, 2009 2:57 PM


    The revocation of 13435 is insane.

    Read the blasted thing:

    http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Executive_Order_13435

    Obama "restoring scientific integrity"?

    It's to laugh.

    Revoking Bush's order will REDUCE the science that's been insanely fruitful in recent years.

    Posted by: rasqual at March 10, 2009 7:05 PM


    My note to the White House on the matter:

    Whatever the perceived problems with the Presidential statement of August 9, 2001, revoking Executive Order 13435 cannot be construed as respect for science. Order 13435 actively promoted ambitious science which has proven tremendously fruitful.

    I can't even advise "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," because you've apparently already decided that "since it's humming along splendidly, let's break the damn thing."

    13435 promoted the most general possible research -- yes, with one substantial but very specific restraint. You've now flipped this on its head -- supporting a narrow band of ethically controversial research while pulling the rug out from under broader, uncontroversial IPS cell research which has yielded fantastic results.

    This smacks of subordinating science to politics -- remarkably, the posture your administration claims to have identified in the previous administration's policies.

    What were you thinking?

    Posted by: rasqual at March 10, 2009 7:39 PM


    Whoops. Wrong thread.

    LOL

    Posted by: rasqual at March 10, 2009 7:40 PM


    Hal: "owned by immoral people."

    Interesting that Hal is quick to judge those who deny homosexuals marriage rights but believes abortion is a "personal" choice. Pretty typical I would say.

    Still "thinking" like an animal right Hal?

    Posted by: Oliver at March 11, 2009 12:04 PM


    I judge everyone. I just judge more harshly those who deny homosexuals marriage rights.

    If I believed in "sin," that would be a much greater sin than abortion.

    Posted by: Hal at March 11, 2009 6:53 PM


    http://pharmphun.blogspot.com/

    Sunday, March 8, 2009
    Father of Canadian Health Care admits it's a failure.
    The Father of the Canadian socialized health care system, Claude Castonguay, has after 30 years, admitted that it's a failure. After years of sending their most critical cases to the United States to get timely treatment, his current prescription is to increase privatization.

    For a single example, Ontario has sent at least 164 cases since 2006 to the U.S. for neurological cases needing emergency treatment, according to the above linked Investors Business Daily article.

    Patients visiting northern U.S. hospitals speak of the high population of Canadians receiving treatment concurrently with them.

    There is a Canadian industry which lines up U.S. physicians to give timely care to Canadians who have enough money.

    As European countries and Canada consider returning to privatized medicine, Obama is plotting to give US increased socialization, that is: Failure Care.

    It would reduce social security payouts, however.
    --------------------------------------------------------

    KB,

    Thanks for the info.

    yor bro ken

    Posted by: kbhvac at March 11, 2009 7:22 PM


    Hal said, "If I believed in 'sin,' that would be a much greater sin than abortion."

    And if you believed that 1+1=2, then you would believe that 2+1=4.

    Posted by: Jon at March 11, 2009 9:23 PM


    Jon, please try harder.

    Posted by: Hal at March 11, 2009 10:36 PM


    Keep it simple, Hal? Homosexuality is a sin. The Bible says so. The idea of sin (English word) is a Judeo-Christian one. The New Testament uses the Greek word hamertia, which you can use if you want to refer to the pre-Christian Greek idea.

    Homosexuality is obviously hamertia, missing the mark. God designed human beings to have sexual reproduction. You don't need the Bible to recognize homosexuality as a perversion. A knowledge of basic biology will be adequate.

    Yes, we all make judgements.

    Posted by: Jon at March 12, 2009 8:35 AM


    "You don't need the Bible to recognize homosexuality as a perversion."

    Yes, I think you do.

    Posted by: Hal at March 12, 2009 1:33 PM


    I could give a rat's backside about retaliation whether it be Homosexual perverts or Abortioniists. I put all my real info in that email. They can come and get me because I'll be waiting for them.

    Hal, have you seen any queer bulls lately? Chickens? Flies? Fish? Cease being stupid.

    Posted by: SamanthaP at March 12, 2009 5:35 PM


    I could give a rat's backside about retaliation whether it be Homosexual perverts or Abortioniists. I put all my real info in that email. They can come and get me because I'll be waiting for them.

    Hal, have you seen any queer bulls lately? Chickens? Fish? Flies??? Cease being stupid.

    Posted by: SamanthaP at March 12, 2009 5:36 PM


    But if there are homosexual bulls, chickens, fish, and flies--we live after the Fall--these animals are obviously missing the mark. The mark might slightly resemble a female mark and--especially for a bovine be located in the same approximate area, though I've never looked too carefully--but a substitute for the female receptacle will suffer abuse simply because--as one substitute--the anus or colon was not designed to be probed. At least, that's what I've read from one medical doctor about men and boys. Homosexual men have a significantly shorter lifespan; homosexuality is unhealthy.

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