USCCB Pro-Life ACTION ALERT

Do you think that doctors should be forced to perform abortions or “gender transition” procedures against their beliefs? Or that taxpayers should be forced to pay for them?

If the answer is NO, please send a comment to the Department of Health and Human Services today!

A little background: In June, the Trump Administration took steps to protect life and religious freedom by correcting an Obamacare rule.  Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) bans sex discrimination in federally-funded health programs and activities. But after the ACA became law, the Obama Administration issued rules that wrongly interpreted “sex” in section 1557 to include “termination of pregnancy” and “gender identity.”  This put health care providers who do not consider abortion or “gender transition” procedures to be appropriate medical care—and health plans that do not cover these procedures—at risk of being charged with sex discrimination!

The Trump Administration has proposed new rules to eliminate this definition of “sex.” The rules clarify that section 1557 does NOT force healthcare providers and insurers to perform or pay for abortion or gender transition procedures.  In addition, the proposed rules recognize that nondiscrimination requirements must be interpreted in line with the First Amendment of the Constitution and federal pro-life, religious freedom, and freedom of conscience laws. 

It is important that we share our support for these proposed rules with HHS at this website: USCCB Pro-Life Action Alerts. 

The deadline for submitting comments is Tuesday, August 13 before midnight EST.  For more information, read this background information and the USCCB comments.