A memo released Tuesday outlines a Bush administration proposal that would drastically limit women’s access to abortion and contraception. The rule change would deny federal funding to medical providers who will not hire doctors or nurses that object to abortion. It significantly expands the definition of the procedure.
The proposal radically redefines abortion as “any of the various procedures — including the prescription and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action — that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation,” according to Reuters. This would falsely label several types of birth control, including IUDs, the pill and emergency contraception as abortion.
Hospitals, clinics, researchers, and medical schools would be required to sign “written certifications” to uphold this rule in order to receive funds from the Department of Health and Human Services, reports The New York Times.
“This proposed rule will put women’s access to birth control and the information they need to make health care decisions at risk,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood in a written press release. “As a result, women’s ability to manage their own health care is at risk of being compromised by politics and ideology.”
