Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Over 100 members of Congress have crafted a letter to President Bush calling on him to "halt all action" on a policy proposal that would help protect medical professionals who don't want to be involved in abortions. The draft would also help medical clinics that don't want abortions done on site.

The Bush administration wants to make sure hospitals and other medical facilities that receive federal funding follow federal laws and guarantee they will not refuse to hire medical staff who refuse to participate in abortions.

The facilities would be required to sign written certifications as a prerequisite for receiving the federal funds.

The letter follows on the objections of abortion advocates who assert that the Bush administration is making contraception abortion with the definitions in the proposal.

The letter says the draft regulation's "definitions are so broad as to go far beyond abortion politics and threaten virtually any law or policy designed to protect women's access to safe and effective birth control."

The "draft regulation could have a disastrous effect upon access to safe and effective birth control for millions of women across the country," the House members claim.

"It would allow any provider, who wants to deny a woman emergency contraception or even birth control pills, to claim protection based on a personal belief that such pills fit the regulatory definition," it asserts.

The proposed HHS rules define abortion as “any of the various procedures — including the prescription, dispensing 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.”

The health and Human Services Department issued a statement responding ot the criticism.

"Over the past three decades, Congress has passed several anti-discrimination laws to protect institutional and individual health care providers participating in federal programs," the department said. "HHS has an obligation to enforce these laws and is exploring a number of options."

 

Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com