by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Let’s face it.  The conscience protection rule is all about abortion.  It could be called the abortion protection rule.

It’s a regulation the Bush administration issued that applies to employers who receive federal funds. It ensures that they respect employees’ right to refuse to participate in medical treatment that goes against their conscience.  In other words, they can’t be forced to do things they think are wrong.  They can’t be fired for refusing to go against their beliefs. They can’t be fired for not participating in abortions.

You can read the full 31 page pdf file at the Federal Register.  Depending on whom you ask, it’s a step backward or a step forward, too broad or too narrow.  Pro-life groups love it.  Pro-choice groups abhor it as much as the NRA hates gun regulations.

But what are the pros and cons of the conscience protection rule?  That partly depends on what you believe as fact or fiction.

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by  James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

The headlines read, “Study shows virginity pledgers as sexually active as peers,” or, “Virginity pledges don’t work.”  OK, I thought, I’m not too keen on public pledges myself.  They were probably done in the emotion and peer pressure of the moment.  I wish all programs would undergo similar scrutiny.

But, then, I read an interview with the study’s author and found ”the rest of the story,” to quote Paul Harvey.  I didn’t take my own advice and believed a headline without reading the details.

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