The Conscience Rule

Barbara Coombs Lee of Compassion & Choices has recently been blogging at Huffington Post about the "conscience" rule.

This law went into effect on January 19 it allows medical workers to refuse to participate in care that goes against their moral beliefs. Obviously, one of the areas this can and will affect is death with dignity. And we already know some facilities in Washington state have decided not to participate in the newly passed law.

Particularly troublesome for me would be any physicians who would refuse treatment but also would not tell patients that the option is available for them. The post by Barbara Coombs Lee says most physicians who object to a treatment would let a patient know about a treatment but some would not—no figures are given though.

Whatever side you come down on, it is an important issue that is getting lost in the midst of economic worries. Check out the blog or Google the topic—but Google "conscience rule HHS," or you won't get decent results.