Sarasota Herald Tribune
September 25, 2008

The Bush administration -- through its Department of Health and Human Services -- has proposed a regulation that could severely undermine women's health by limiting access to basic reproductive health services, including birth control, abortion and voluntary sterilization.

The "provider conscience" rule leaves open the possibility that -- based on religious beliefs -- federally funded health care providers, including hospitals, insurance companies and pharmacies, as well as individuals working for those providers, could deny women access to birth control, options counseling, and medical procedures, and could withhold information.

This far-reaching rule would affect Medicare, Medicaid and any hospital, clinic, doctor's office or pharmacy that receives federal funding from HHS, directly or indirectly -- a number HHS puts at 584,000 providers nationally.

Taxpayers will foot the outrageous $45 million bill estimated to implement this rule, which apparently is a solution to a problem that HHS has failed to prove even exists.

Because of the regulatory nature of this proposal, it doesn't need congressional approval. But the president can't push it forward without allowing public comment. Planned Parenthood urges all concerned citizens to submit comments opposing this regulation. Today is the final day of a 30-day public comment period. The public may submit comments by e-mail to consciencecomment@hhs.gov.

This president who is now promoting regulation should concentrate on Wall Street and not on women.

Barbara A. Zdravecky

Sarasota

The writer is president of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida.