Trump's 'religious conscience'

[PediatricMA]

Has anyone heard of this? Its saying that basically ANY healthcare worker has the right as of July 22nd to refuse care to a patient due to the healthcare worker's moral beliefs or religion. I'm so confused. First of all we as healthcare workers are here to help EVERYONE. Most people think it will effect LGBTQ or women, which I can definitely see happening. I mean rapists are against my morals so does that mean I can refuse treatment? I've been looking this up trying to find some clarification.

On the NPR website it states "Last month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services put out a new rule that "implements full and robust enforcement" of existing laws that protect what the administration calls "conscience rights" for health care workers. The rule is set to go into effect on July 22."

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/06/11/730659035/-patients-will-die-one-county-s-challenge-to-trump-s-conscience-rights-rule

https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/28/politics/legal-challenge-hhs-conscience-objection-rule/index.html

I added two links of articles I have found on it, still confused though. Any thoughts or facts you guys have?

[2Ask]

Without researching this I'm guessing it means that if I believe abortion and assisted suicide are wrong, then I won't lose my job or be punished if I refuse a nursing assignment where I would be a party to those acts.

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

I've been thinking of founding a religion. I'll include a big list of everything I don't want to do as well as a list of types of people I'd prefer not to deal with and then...Shazam! My life (and that of my co-religionists) will be near nirvana.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I've never bought that political argument, either. It's similar to the argument that says, "I don't want my tax dollars to go towards ....xyz... because that goes against my religious beliefs." People use that argument to try to prevent the government for supporting facilities that provide abortions, etc. ... but if that argument is considered valid for that one issue, I should be able to use that same argument to exclude myself and my tax dollars from a lot of things I don't like.

[Swellz]

1 hour ago, Jedrnurse said:

I've been thinking of founding a religion. I'll include a big list of everything I don't want to do as well as a list of types of people I'd prefer not to deal with and then...Shazam! My life (and that of my co-religionists) will be near nirvana.

Is your religion against insulin drips? If so, let me know when your services are 'cause I'm there.

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

8 minutes ago, Swellz said:

Is your religion against insulin drips? If so, let me know when your services are 'cause I'm there.

I'm open to suggestions from all charter members. (The first 100 to sign up...)

[MunoRN, RN]

I'm not necessarily opposed to it, so long as my religious beliefs are included: I'm religiously opposed to double charting, any time spent doing things that don't clearly benefit the patient, scripted communication with patients or family, doing what my superiors tell me to do, giving kayexalate, etc.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

3 hours ago, 2Ask said:

Without researching this I'm guessing it means that if I believe abortion and assisted suicide are wrong, then I won't lose my job or be punished if I refuse a nursing assignment where I would be a party to those acts.

That’s how I took it, although I get that it could be a slippery slope.

That said, while many religious texts say that same-sex SEX is wrong, to my knowledge no religious texts say that we are not to care for a patient on the grounds of their private life.

To the contrary, the parable of the Good Samaritan illustrates that this man who was not a Jew, was considered more of a neighbor to the Jewish man he helped than the Jewish men who passed by without helping. It doesn’t say that this beating-victim shouldn’t have accepted care on the grounds of religious differences.

In fact, the gospels in the Bible have accounts of Jesus himself healing Gentiles.

If you have issues with specific procedures on religious grounds, fine.... although I think that the conscientious objector should not take a job in that area. For example, if a Muslim man takes the directive not to uncover the opposite sex’s nakedness literally enough to include healthcare, he maybe shouldn’t work with women. If a nurse is against abortion, don’t work in a women’s clinic.

But to say that you can’t care for a gay person because you believe that type of sex is a sin? Show me where in your religious texts it says you can’t. Spoiler alert: you won’t find it.

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

6 hours ago, Jedrnurse said:

I've been thinking of founding a religion. I'll include a big list of everything I don't want to do as well as a list of types of people I'd prefer not to deal with and then...Shazam! My life (and that of my co-religionists) will be near nirvana.

Well you know L. Ron Hubbard said the best way to get rich is to start a religion!

[PediatricMA]

So I've read that this is going to extend further then just abortion. Sign language interpreters can refuse to translate information about birth control. EMTs can refuse to treat. A caregiver can refuse to help dress a disabled transgender person in the clothes of their preference. Is there going to be laws and rules next that police can protect who they choose? Or teachers are only going to teach children that share their beliefs? People in healthcare help others in their hardest of times. I just don't agree with it.

[SmilingBluEyes]

If your religion supports refusing care to people who need it, you either need a new religion or a new profession. This is why I want nothing to do with organized religion. It's used as a political weapon at the convenience of the "believer".

[NewMexNurse, ADN, MSN, RN]

Sign me up. I'm against placing NG tubes, scripted communication, whiteboard updating in the ER and angry homeless people with maggots in their feet.