Starting today, and for the next thirty days, the Department of Health and Human Services will be "accepting comments from the public on a proposal by the Obama administration to completely rescind federal regulations placed into effect by former President Bush that protect the right to conscience for healthcare workers…. The regulation mandated federally funded health institutions to certify their compliance with existing federal laws that uphold the rights of doctors and nurses to refuse a medical service on religious or moral grounds." ... (emphasis mine)
Do read the rest of Dr. Keyes's excellent article on this most important topic, but sear in your minds and don't lose sight of the phrase I've italicized in the above quote because it is central to the issue here.
If and when this policy goes into effect, the only option I can see left to healthcare professionals who are conscientious objectors is for them to resign their positions with the institutions in question and seek employment elsewhere - at health institutions not federally funded. Good luck to them in that. It ought to serve as a real test of the dissenting individual's faith. I personally think that few of us have the moral fortitude of taking the John Galt option when that is the only choice left us, but maybe people aren't as wedded to their lavish lifestyles as I would tend to believe. I can guarantee you, though, that few, if any, health institutions that currently receive federal funding are going to be willing to forego it when this policy is instituted. There's nothing "free" in this world, my friends. And if you're receiving "federal funding", directly or indirectly, you're going to pay dearly for it. Just ask "tax exempt" churches what the cost of their tax exempt status is. On second thought don't. They probably don't have any clue.
My grandmother always said that any help you get from the government will cost you more than they give you. I tend to think she was right.
ReplyDeleteOn the cost of federal funding for churches:
My pastor has been gently addressing issues of persecution in our Bible studies. I don't know if the other participants understand what he is doing, but I think he is attempting to prepare us for persecution.
Last night he brought up the tax exempt status of churches and church property and how the church would change if that was no longer the case.
I think he knows the cost and accepts it.
Well, I've long thought that churches should refuse the tax exempt option as long as the government, in return, dictates what can and cannot be said about politics or political candidates.
ReplyDeleteIt's that old principle that God can do more with 90% than we can ever do with 100%.