The Uninspired Manifesto

I really should log on more often, but between my various daily activities, as well as my propensity to spend hours surfing YouTube, It's hard to find time to search out news stories. Still, I came across one that warranted a look from those that might be interested.

From The International Herald Tribune:

A last-minute Bush administration plan to grant sweeping new protections to health care providers who oppose abortion and other procedures on religious or moral grounds has provoked a torrent of objections, including a strenuous protest from the government agency that enforces job-discrimination laws.

The proposed rule would prohibit recipients of federal money from discriminating against doctors, nurses and other health care workers who refuse to perform or to assist in the performance of abortions or sterilization procedures because of their "religious beliefs or moral convictions."

...

To avoid the usual rush of last-minute rules, the White House said in May that new regulations should be proposed by June 1 and issued by Nov. 1. The "provider conscience" rule missed both deadlines.

Under the White House directive, the deadlines can be waived "in extraordinary circumstances." Administration officials were unable to say immediately why an exception might be justified in this case.

I don't know if this ruling will pass or not, and in the case that it does, how long it would hold up under the next administration. Everyone knew that the closer we got to the end of the Bush era, the harder he would push to sneak through rulings that otherwise wouldn't make it past a vote in the House. This one in particular could force clinics to hire employees that may refuse to do their job.

I be back with another update in the near future.