Sec. 2. Findings

323 words·~1 min read·/bill/113/hr/940/ih/section-2

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

Congress finds the following: As Thomas Jefferson declared to New London Methodists in 1809, [n]o provision in our Constitution ought to be dearer to man than that which protects the rights of conscience against the enterprises of the civil authority . Jefferson’s conviction on respect for conscience is deeply embedded in the history and traditions of our Nation, and codified in numerous Federal laws approved by congressional majorities and Presidents of both parties, including in the Public Health Service Act; the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act; the Religious Freedom Restoration Act; longstanding provisions on respect for conscience rights in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and District of Columbia appropriations; and laws to protect individuals from being forced to participate in Federal executions or prosecutions.

Following enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111–148, in this section referred to as PPACA ), the Federal Government has sought to impose specific requirements that infringe on the rights of conscience of those who offer or purchase health coverage. While PPACA provides an exemption for some religious groups that object to participation in health insurance generally, and exempts millions of Americans from most of the Act’s provisions, including the preventive services mandate, it fails to provide statutory protection for those seeking to offer and purchase health coverage who have a religious or moral objection only to specific items or services.

Nurses and other health care providers have increasingly been subjected to discrimination for abiding by their conscience rather than providing, paying for, or referring for abortion. Conscience rights protections for health care providers are an important part of civil rights protections in Federal law and are indispensable to the continued viability of the health care system in the United States. The increasingly significant discrimination suffered by faith-based nonprofit health care providers risks undermining access to high-quality compassionate care for some of the most vulnerable populations in our country.

Connections1 off-index

1 reference not yet in our index

Pub. L. 111-148

Citation graph

cites case law

Sec. 2

Findings

Pub. L.Pub. L. 111-148

Cites 1Cited by 0 across 0 sources