Sacramento, Calif., Aug 26, 2009 / 05:06 am
California Nurses for Ethical Standards has issued a statement on proposals for health care reform, stressing the need for conscience protections for institutional and individual health care providers and insurers, the exclusion of abortion from federal funding and non-discrimination in health care eligibility.
The August 20 statement from California Nurses for Ethical Standards (CNES) voiced concern about some provisions that will “heavily” affect their profession.
“Foremost we believe that increased government involvement will do nothing to correct the difficulties currently present in our health care system, and would prove disastrous,” the statement said.
CNES insisted that all health care providers, individual and institutional, as well as insurers must be free to refuse to “participate in, refer for or pay for” medical procedures and practices that violate their consciences.