News

WASHINGTON, Mar 10 (LSN) – A legislative alert from the Family Research Council (FRC)  this week indicates that on February 20, President Clinton signed an executive order to strip away “conscience clauses” for doctors who work with the military or federal employees.  In his announcement of a patient's bill of rights,” the President mandated that the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and the Department of Defense lift their “gag clauses” by April 21 and September 30, respectively.  According to the FRC, the phrase “gag clauses” has long been used by the pro-abortion industry to refer to clauses that allow a doctor to follow his or her conscience when faced with moral or religious objections. In the past, objecting doctors were exempt from mandatory abortion counseling and mandatory physician-assisted suicide counseling.  This new executive order appears to mandate that all military doctors and all FEHBP doctors talk about anything and everything that is available and “legal” despite their moral or religious objections.