Through the efforts of nearly a dozen pro-family groups - including Focus on the Family Action - more than 340,000 Americans have sent comments to the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) in support of health care professionals' right of conscience.

President George W. Bush put regulations in place in December to reinforce federal laws that protect medical professionals from being forced to participate in abortion and other anti-life practices that violate their morals. President Barack Obama wants to overturn them.

Carrie Gordon Earll, senior bioethics analyst at Focus on the Family Action, called it a serious situation.

"If the Bush regulations are reversed and the trend to discriminate continues, people of faith and strong conviction will stop going into medicine," she said. "In 20 years, you may not be able to find a pro-life doctor. Reversing the regulations puts medical professionals and patients at risk."
 
In a recent survey, 95 percent of faith-based physicians said they would rather stop practicing medicine than be forced to violate their consciences.

In another poll - also conducted by WomanTrend on behalf of the Christian Medical Association - nearly 90 percent of Americans said they believe it is important to "make sure health care professionals in America are not forced to participate in procedures and practices to which they have moral objections."

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Learn more at the Freedom2Care Web site.