public comment...

ok, so.....i took the time to make my position known on an issue that coincidentally hillary clinton took up in a nytimes opinion piece....a hhs proposed rule that would allow any person working in a setting that accepted federal funding, to refuse to give any service that conflicted with that person's morals or ethics....the intent appears to be birth control, emergency contraception, or abortions...but this line is vague enough that i, as a nutrition/diabetes educator could refuse to serve someone i found morally offensive- we could have rampant discrimination cloaked as provider conscience.....here is the link

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
45 CFR Part 88
RIN 0991–AB48
Ensuring That Department of Health
and Human Services Funds Do Not
Support Coercive or Discriminatory
Policies or Practices In Violation of
Federal Law
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, HHS.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
SUMMARY: The Department of Health and
Human Services proposes to promulgate
regulations to ensure that Department
funds do not support morally coercive
or discriminatory practices or policies
in violation of federal law, pursuant to
the Church Amendments (42 U.S.C.
300a–7), Public Health Service (PHS)
Act § 245 (42 U.S.C. 238n), and the
Weldon Amendment (Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2008, Pub. L. 110–
161, § 508(d), 121 Stat. 1844, 2209). This
notice of proposed rulemaking proposes
to define certain key terms.
Furthermore, in order to ensure that
recipients of Department funds know
about their legal obligations under these
nondiscrimination provisions, the
Department proposes to require written
certification by certain recipients that
they will comply with all three statutes,
as applicable.
DATES: Submit written or electronic
comment on the regulations proposed
by this document by September 25,
2008.
ADDRESSES: In commenting, please refer
to ‘‘Provider Conscience Regulation’’.
Electronically. You may submit
electronic comments on this regulation
to http://www.Regulations.gov or via email
to consciencecomment@hhs.gov.
To submit electronic comments to
http://www.Regulations.gov, go to the
Web site and click on the link
‘‘Comment or Submission’’ and enter
the keywords ‘‘provider conscience’’.