Allentown LGBTQ center joins lawsuit against Trump administration over ‘conscience’ rule

A Lehigh Valley LGBTQ center was among a coalition of activists who sued the Trump administration Tuesday, challenging a new “conscience” rule that would allow health care providers to deny patients services if the provider cites a religious or moral objection.The lawsuit, filed in federal court in California, has nine plaintiffs including various civil rights organizations, clinics and community groups. The suit argues that the new rule, completed by the Department of Health and Human Services this month, is “intentionally unworkable” for health care organizations and may result in the facilities doing away with reproductive and LGBTQ services.When the rule was finished on May 2, HHS’s Office for Civil Rights issued a statement saying the policy “ensures that health care entities and professionals won’t be bullied out of the health care field because they decline to participate in actions that violate their conscience, including the taking of a human life.”Lambda Legal, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Center for Reproductive Rights are providing legal services pro bono for the case.The attorneys on the case said Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s administration is misusing religious freedom as an excuse to implement discriminatory policies. As a result, patients will be more likely to withhold information from doctors in fear of discrimination and compromise their care.“It erodes the trust between patients and providers,” said Jamie Gliksberg, the senior attorney at Lambda Legal.Discussion around the rule has centered on abortion rights, but the policy also has serious implications for the LGBTQ community, said Adrian Shanker, executive director of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown, which has joined the lawsuit.Shanker said the Bradbury-Sullivan Center administers a statewide assessment on LGBT health care needs, and the survey has found that over 50% of LGBT residents in the state fear a negative response from health care professionals if they disclose their LGBT identity.“If this rule were to go into effect, it would be devastating for patient care,” Shanker said. “It would provide significant burdens on health care employers and it will prevent LGBT people as well as other patients who are uniquely affected by this rule from seeking care to begin with.”Shanker said the Lehigh Valley, which includes smaller cities and a sizable rural population, has fewer options for alternative health care services.“If providers deny services to the transgender community based on objections, there may not be enough options in the community to provide those services,” he said.Opponents also criticized the rule for being too vague and broad, making it challenging for health care facilities to interpret and implement. Smaller facilities will especially have a hard time if a staff member refuses to work with certain patients and there’s not another staff member who can fill in.“People won’t get the care they need.” said Richard Katskee, the legal director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. “That’s how patients get forgotten or ignored.”
Source: Morningcall