New Conscience Regulations from the Department of Health & Human Services: Do They Strike the Right Balance Between Conscience and the Medical Profession?

The protection of conscience for health care providers has, in some arguments, been pitted against the right of an individual to receive a health care product or service. This past February, the Obama Administration revised earlier conscience clause regulations enacted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the Bush Administration. What are the practical implications of these revised regulations? How will the federal government now handle complaints filed by health care providers who allege that they have been compelled to violate their moral or religious beliefs? These and other questions will be addressed by our panel of experts.

Panelists:

• Dr. M. Gregg Bloche, Co-Director, Georgetown-Johns Hopkins Joint Program in Law and Public Health, Georgetown University Law Center
• Dr. Farr A. Curlin, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Section of General Internal Medicine, MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, University of Chicago Medical Center
• Prof. Robert A. Destro, The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law
• Prof. B. Jessie Hill, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
• Moderator: Prof. Mark L. Rienzi, The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law