Bill > HR2874

This bill, titled the "Defense of Conscience in Health Care Act," requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue a new regulation within 6 months of enactment that restores and reinstates a previous rule (part 88 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations) from July 22, 2019 regarding conscience protections in healthcare. The rule is designed to protect healthcare workers' rights to refuse participation in medical procedures that conflict with their religious beliefs or moral convictions. Specifically, the bill mandates that the new rule be "identical or materially equivalent" to the 2019 version and explicitly states that it will supersede any conflicting existing rules. The bill uses the term "Federal conscience and anti-discrimination laws" as defined in the original 2019 rule, which broadly protects healthcare workers from being compelled to perform or assist in medical procedures they find objectionable on conscience grounds. By reinstating the 2019 rule, the bill aims to ensure robust protections for healthcare workers' right to decline participation in procedures they find morally or religiously objectionable.

Business and Industry

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2874/all-info