Health Care Conscience Rights Act – Defending our Rights
The Christ Medicus Foundation and CMF CURO have worked tirelessly over the past few months to advance the mission of the organization in Washington D.C. and elsewhere. This work involves educating policy makers on the importance of conscience protections, and advocating for legislation in the House of Representatives and the Senate that uphold our Christian rights within health care.
H.R.940 – Health Care Conscience Rights Act
What it is
The Health Care Conscience Rights Act (H.R. Bill 940, or Senate Bill 1919), was introduced by Representative Diane Black (R-TN) in 2013. Backed by 50 other House members, this legislation would ensure that conscience rights in health care are effective and enacted.
This legislation would protect individual rights of conscience and religious freedom in health care for patients, doctors and medical providers, and other health care entities. It would also prevent patients, providers, insurances, and groups from paying for, facilitating, providing coverage for, or participating in abortion procedures, contraception, sterilizations, and other practices which are against the Culture of Life. The legislation would give aggrieved parties the right to sue for relief in federal court.
Other provisions include:
- Protects consumers from being forced to purchase insurance that includes abortion or other services morally or religiously objectionable to the individual
- Protects insurers and health care plans from being required to provide coverage for abortions or other services of morally or religiously objectionable to the individual, and provides insurers the right to exclude these services and offer coverage that excludes these
Why we need it
Though there are previous laws in place that offer some protections for health care institutions – Church Amendment of 1973, Coats/Snowe Amendment of 1996, and Hyde/Weldon Amendment to Labor/HHS appropriations bills, and others – these laws have limitations that H.R. 940 would correct, including:
- None have a “private right of action,” which would allow victims of discrimination to go to court for relief
- None address the nationwide mandates of the Affordable Care Act, such as regulatory mandates for contraceptives, sterilizations, and abortifacient coverage
- Some provisions only address discrimination by the federal government in certain specific health programs
- And others
H.R. 940 would correct these and other problems to ensure that all people have the right to exercise their moral and religious conscience in their health care decisions.
What we are doing
Director of CMF CURO Louis Brown, founder of the Christ Medicus Foundation Michael O’Dea, and co-founder of CMF CURO David Wilson have devoted time and effort in pushing to have H.R. 940 voted on in Congress. Through meetings with various representatives and staff members and educating them on what this bill is and the critical need for it in this country, the team has made progress in gaining support for this comprehensive legislation.
O’Dea said that he hopes to get a vote on this bill as soon as possible, as it is critical for defending those vital rights.
“I am confident the bill can be brought to a vote if we can educate members of congress correctly,” he said.
He also encourages everyone to reach out to their state representatives, meet with them, and urge them to become involved in this legislation.
Learn more about the initiative here.
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- CMF CURO director Louis Brown at the U.S. Capitol
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- The U.S. Capitol Building
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- Louis Brown meets with Eric Schmitz of the Susan B. Anthony List in D.C.
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