About 40 physicians, medical students, nurses and lab technicians from the Christian Medical and Dental Associations dressed in lab coats demonstrated at the National Press Club on Wednesday to protest against President Obama's plan to rescind the HHS provider "conscience" rule put in place during the final days of President George W. Bush's administration, the Washington Times reports. The rule expands the ability of health workers to refuse to provide services or information they object to on moral or religious grounds and prohibits federal funding for health entities that do not comply. The Obama administration announced its proposed rescission of the rule on March 10, with the 30-day public comment period ending today at midnight. According to the Times, federal law since the 1970s has prohibited medical facilities from discriminating against medical workers who refuse to perform abortions or refer for the procedure.

The CMDA members assert that repealing the rule would threaten the careers of abortion-rights opponents who refuse to participate in services related to abortion or the distribution of contraceptives. According to CMDA CEO David Stevens, students are being denied entry to medical schools and residency programs because they oppose abortion rights, and antiabortion-rights doctors and nurses are losing jobs or being denied promotions. Stevens added that "many" individuals are deciding not to enter the obstetrics field because of concerns that they will be compelled to perform abortions. He also claimed that the repeal of the conscience rule could cause "hundreds of thousands" of health workers who oppose abortion rights to leave their jobs and up to one-third of U.S. hospitals, including the nation's 615 Roman Catholic hospitals, to close. According to the Times, some Catholic bishops have suggested they would consider closing Catholic hospitals, which do not provide information or services related to abortion or contraception, if the conscience rule is repealed.

Many women's health advocacy groups -- including the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association -- support Obama's plan to rescind the conscience rule, the Times reports. According to Robin Summers, chief operating officer of NFPRHA, the HHS rule in its current state not only addresses protections for health workers who refuse to participate in abortions but goes further by protecting health providers who refuse to dispense contraceptives. According to Summers, the rule would be especially harmful to low-income and uninsured women, who often seek health care at publicly funded facilities.