Bush Order Presents Challenging Wrinkle for Tennessee Health Care Providers
Nashville, TN – With only weeks to go in office, President Bush has issued an order that affects information patients receive when they visit a federally-funded health care provider. Under the new order, medical staff can withhold information about abortion, birth control, and sex education when they have a moral objection to it.
According to Jeff Teague, director of Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee, this will hit low income Tennessee women hard - especially now, when so many are already in crisis as a result of the bad economy.
"We can see increased numbers of sexually-transmitted infections, increased numbers of HIV infections, increased numbers of unintended pregnancies."
Teague believes the so-called "conscience rule" has little to do with women's health and is more of a power grab to deny access to some of the more controversial aspects of reproductive health care.
"This putting a political agenda ahead of the needs of patients, and it really hinders the quality of care that patients are going to be able to receive."
Teague says that even with a new administration coming in, it will take more than a simple signature to reverse the Executive Order. The White House says the rule protects workers who refuse to participate in providing birth control or other care they don't support.
