Obama Rescinds Bush 'Conscience' Rule

The Obama administration revoked most of a controversial federal regulation designed to protect health-care workers who choose not to provide care they find morally objectionable. The rule was put into effect during the final days of George W. Bush’s presidency, and was criticized by women’s health advocates and family planning proponents who said it made it more difficult to get birth control, emergency contraception, and abortions. In the new decision, the Health and Human Services Department called the rule “unclear and potentially overbroad in scope," and rescinded almost all of it, leaving in place only longstanding protections for workers who don’t want to perform abortions or sterilizations.