<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Wingdings;
panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Consolas;
panose-1:2 11 6 9 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
pre
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"HTML Preformatted Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Courier New";}
span.HTMLPreformattedChar
{mso-style-name:"HTML Preformatted Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"HTML Preformatted";
font-family:Consolas;}
span.EmailStyle20
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Tongue
planted firmly in cheek, I have to say that I don’t think the Conscience
Rule was all bad </span><span style='font-family:Wingdings;color:#1F497D'>J</span><span
style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> Of course, it
helps that it was drafted by morons who didn’t bother to think about
anything other than trying to ram their beliefs down the throats – and into
the pocketbooks – of everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>First,
I think folks should read what it actually says and what it actually requires.
It’s freely available in the CRF – have a good read.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Second,
isn’t it absolutely amazing that so many of the people – who lost
the election – are screaming about evil government and wanting to keep
evil government as small as possible except when they want it to advance their
personal agendas? Why, the unmasking of the hypocrisy alone is worth the
price of admission, isn’t it?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Third,
I personally was looking forward to seeing Mr. Crabtree’s howls of
indignation the first time a clinic refused to provide prenatal care to a
welfare mother with more children than she can support. Or, the first
time a married woman was denied insurance coverage for baby number three, four,
five, or more. Or, the first time one of his buddies was denied his ED medication.
Or, a loved one was denied reconstructive surgery following a mastectomy.
And so forth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Because,
of course, the “Conscience Rule” allowed health providers (the
definition of which was incredibly broad) to refuse to provide, participate in
(even tangentially), provide referrals, or process claims and payments not only
on the basis of “sincere religious belief,” but also “moral
conviction.” Thus, health care delivery in this country was turned
into an arena where others were given free rein to force their religious beliefs
and moral convictions on the rest of us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>And,
let’s think . . . just for a minute . . . about implementation. In
order to maintain adequate standards of care, this moronic “Conscience
Rule” opened the door for employers – including the government –
to stick their noses into the religious beliefs and moral convictions of their
employees and potential employees. How else could they make sure to staff
adequately for whatever situation might arise? You wouldn’t want,
for instance, the only lab employee on duty to be a Jehovah’s Witness who
is willing to do all the work except those pertaining to transfusions if you
were the victim of a drunk driver and needed an emergency blood transfusion,
would you?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>So,
that brings us to the next inevitable result: skyrocketing health care
costs. Because in order to maintain adequate standards of care, more
employees would be required at all times to pick up the slack of those refusing
to do all aspects of the jobs they were hired to do. So, not only was our
care – and not just those pertaining to family planning, reproductive
freedom, and end of life care – to be dictated by the religious beliefs
and moral convictions of those calling the shots, but we were supposed to pay
for the increased financial burden of those religious beliefs and
convictions. Yeah, that was gonna be real helpful for those of us already
struggling with out-of-control health care costs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Yuppers,
that “Conscience Rule” was a real brilliant move conceived by
incredibly brilliant people, huh? It would have been a real hoot to see
their spittle-flecked outraged faces when they realized the Pandora’s Box
they opened.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Saundra<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Moscow,
ID<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>The
only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>~
Edmund Burke<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>