National poll: Faith-based health professionals care for all but need conscience protections on moral issues

By Jonathan Imbody, VP for Government Relations - Christian Medical Association and Director - Freedom2Care

Faith-based health professionals care with compassion and respect for all patients, but they will leave medicine rather than violate their conscience if forced to participate in morally objectionable procedures and prescriptions.

I recently delivered that message from our members, based on a professionally conducted poll, at the White House to the President's advisors; at the U.S. Capitol to Congressional staffers; at a U.S. House of Representatives office to legislators and staffers; and at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to agency officials.

The survey, a nationwide poll of faith-based health professionals, conducted by Heart and Mind Strategies, LLC, found that 91 percent said they would have to "stop practicing medicine altogether than be forced to violate my conscience." That finding holds significant implications for millions of patients, especially the poor and those in underserved regions who depend upon faith-based health facilities and professionals for their care. 

The survey of faith-based health professionals also found that virtually all care for patients "regardless of sexual orientation, gender identification, or family makeup, with sensitivity and compassion, even when I cannot validate their choices." The finding puts the lie to the charge that somehow conscience protections will result in whole classes of patients being denied care. 

"Faith-based health professionals actually seek out and serve marginalized patients to provide compassionate care," explained CMDA CEO Emeritus Dr. David Stevens in a news release. "All we ask as we serve is that the government not intrude into the physician-patient relationship by dictating that we must do controversial procedures and prescriptions that counter our best medical judgment or religious beliefs." 

Key poll findings include:

• Faith-based health professionals need conscience protections to ensure their continued medical practice.
• Conscience-driven health professionals care for all patients.
• Religious professionals overwhelmingly support a biological—not ideological--definition of sex.
• Religious health professionals face rampant discrimination.
• Access for poor and medically under-served patient populations depends on conscience protections.

Detail on the poll of faith-based professionals can be found at www.Freedom2Care.org/polling.

CMA is currently represented by the Becket law firm in two cases on which this poll has bearing: Franciscan Alliance v. Azar, which addresses an Obamacare transgender mandate, and New York v. HHS, which addresses a new federal conscience protection rule.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently introduced two new regulations on which the poll has bearing: a final conscience protection rule and a proposed gender rule. For more information on these rules, see https://www.freedom2care.org/laws-regs-cases and click on Regulations.