Over the past thirty-five years, numerous federal laws and regulations have been enacted to protect rights of conscientious objection. Many of these laws relate to controverted areas of reproductive health. Some are nondiscrimination laws protecting those who object to participation in abortion on any grounds whatsoever.
1973	Public Health Service Act (the "Church amendment"): Declares that hospitals or individuals' receipt of federal funds in various health programs will not require them to participate in abortion and sterilization procedures, if they object based on moral or religious convictions. It also forbids hospitals in these programs to make willingness or unwillingness to perform these procedures a condition of employment. Another provision protects the general conscience rights of individuals in federally funded health service programs. A final provision prohibits entities that receive public health service funds from discriminating against applicants who decline to participate in abortions or sterilizations on account of religious beliefs or moral convictions. 42 U.S.C. § 300a-7(b). Prohibition of public officials and public authorities from imposition of certain requirements contrary to religious beliefs or moral convictions. The receipt of any grant, contract, loan, or loan guarantee under the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.), the Community Mental Health Centers Act (42 U.S.C. 2689 et seq.), or the Developmental Disabilities Services and Facilities Construction Act (42 U.S.C. 6000 et seq.) by any individual or entity does not authorize any court or any public official or other public authority to require - such individual to perform or assist in the performance of any sterilization procedure or abortion if his performance or assistance in the performance of such procedure or abortion would be contrary to his religious beliefs or moral convictions; or such entity to - make its facilities available for the performance of any sterilization procedure or abortion if the performance of such procedure or abortion in such facilities is prohibited by the entity on the basis of religious beliefs or moral convictions, or provide any personnel for the performance or assistance in the performance of any sterilization procedure or abortion if the performance or assistance in the performance of such procedures or abortion by such personnel would be contrary to the religious beliefs or moral convictions of such personnel. 42 U.S.C. 300a-7 (c) Discrimination prohibition. No entity which receives a grant, contract, loan, or loan guarantee under the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.), the Community Mental Health Centers Act (42 U.S.C. 2689 et seq.), or the Developmental Disabilities Services and Facilities Construction Act (42 U.S.C. 6000 et seq.) after June 18, 1973, may - discriminate in the employment, promotion, or termination of employment of any physician or other health care personnel, or discriminate in the extension of staff or other privileges to any physician or other health care personnel, because he performed or assisted in the performance of a lawful sterilization procedure or abortion, because he refused to perform or assist in the performance of such a procedure or abortion on the grounds that his performance or assistance in the performance of the procedure or abortion would be contrary to his religious beliefs or moral convictions, or because of his religious beliefs or moral convictions respecting sterilization procedures or abortions. No entity which receives after July 12, 1974, a grant or contract for biomedical or behavioral research under any program administered by the Secretary of Health and Human Services may discriminate in the employment, promotion, or termination of employment of any physician or other health care personnel, or discriminate in the extension of staff or other privileges to any physician or other health care personnel, because he performed or assisted in the performance of any lawful health service or research activity, because he refused to perform or assist in the performance of any such service or activity on the grounds that his performance or assistance in the performance of such service or activity would be contrary to his religious beliefs or moral convictions, or because of his religious beliefs or moral convictions respecting any such service or activity. 42 U.S.C. 300a-7 (d). Individual rights respecting certain requirements contrary to religious beliefs or moral convictions. No individual shall be required to perform or assist in the performance of any part of a health service program or research activity funded in whole or in part under a program administered by the Secretary of Health and Human Services if his performance or assistance in the performance of such part of such program or activity would be contrary to his religious beliefs or moral convictions. 42 U.S.C. 300a-7 (e). Prohibition on entities receiving Federal grant, etc., from discriminating against applicants for training or study because of refusal of applicant to participate on religious or moral grounds. No entity which receives, after September 29, 1979, any grant, contract, loan, loan guarantee, or interest subsidy under the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.), the Community Mental Health Centers Act (42 U.S.C. 2689 et seq.), or the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (42 U.S.C. 6000 et seq.) may deny admission or otherwise discriminate against any applicant (including applicants for internships and residencies) for training or study because of the applicant's reluctance, or willingness, to counsel, suggest, recommend, assist, or in any way participate in the performance of abortions or sterilizations contrary to or consistent with the applicant's religious beliefs or moral convictions.
1974	Legal Services Corporation on abortion: Prohibits Legal Services Corporation funds from being used to compel involvement in abortion. 42 U.S.C. § 2996f(b). Limitations on uses. No funds made available by the [Legal Services] Corporation under this subchapter, either by grant or contract, may be used . . . (8) to provide legal assistance with respect to any proceeding or litigation which seeks to procure a nontherapeutic abortion or to compel any individual or institution to perform an abortion, or assist in the performance of an abortion, or provide facilities for the performance of an abortion, contrary to the religious beliefs or moral convictions of such individual or institution . . .
1986	Foreign aid: Prohibits discrimination against foreign aid grant applicants who offer natural family planning on account or religious or conscientious commitments. Approved every year since 1986. Current provision: Title III of Division J (Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008, Pub. L. No. 110-161. Provided further, That in awarding grants for natural family planning under section 104 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 no applicant shall be discriminated against because of such applicant's religious or conscientious commitment to offer only natural family planning...
1988	Civil Rights Restoration Act: Prohibits construing a federal sex discrimination provision [Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972] to require an educational entity to pay for or provide abortion or abortion benefits. 20 U.S.C. §1688. Neutrality with respect to abortion. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to require or prohibit any person, or public or private entity, to provide or pay for any benefit or service, including the use of facilities, related to an abortion.
1994	Refusal to participate in executions or in prosecutions of capital crimes: Protects employees from being forced to participate in federal executions or prosecutions. 18 U.S.C. §3597 (b). Excuse of an employee on moral or religious grounds. No employee of any State department of corrections, the United States Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, or the United States Marshals Service, and no employee providing services to that department, or bureau, or service under contract shall be required, as a condition of that employment or contractual obligation, to be in attendance at or participate in any prosecution or execution under this section if such participation is contrary to the moral or religious convictions of the employee. In this subsection, "participation in executions" includes personal preparation of the condemned individual and the apparatus used for execution and supervision of the activities of other personnel in carrying out such activities. [See virtually identical provision at 21 U.S.C. §848 (r).]
1996	Protecting health care entities that decline involvement in abortions for any reason: Prohibits the federal government and state and local governments receiving federal funds from discriminating against health care entities (including residency programs) and individual health care providers that do not provide, train in or refer for abortions. 42 U.S.C. § 238n. Abortion related discrimination in governmental activities regarding training and licensing of physicians. The Federal Government, and any State or local government that receives Federal financial assistance, may not subject any health care entity to discrimination on the basis that - the entity refuses to undergo training in the performance of induced abortions, to require or provide such training, to perform such abortions, or to provide referrals for such training or such abortions; the entity refuses to make arrangements for any of the activities specified in paragraph (1); or the entity attends (or attended) a post graduate physician training program, or any other program of training in the health professions, that does not (or did not) perform induced abortions or require, provide or refer for training in the performance of induced abortions, or make arrangements for the provision of such training.
1996	Vaccinations: Protects aliens who object to vaccinations on account of religious beliefs or moral convictions. 8 U.S.C. §1182 (g). Bond and condition for admission of alien excludable on health-related grounds. The Attorney General may waive the application of . . . subsection (a)(1)(A)(ii) of this section [requiring documentation that one has been vaccinated against certain diseases] in the case of any alien . . . under such circumstances as the Attorney General provides by regulation, with respect to whom the requirement of such a vaccination would be contrary to the alien's religious beliefs or moral convictions . . .
1997	Medicare: counseling and referral: Prohibits construing the Medicare statute to require Medicare + Choice managed care plans to provide counseling and referral services to which they have a moral or religious objection. 42 U.S.C. § 1395w-22(j)(3)(B). Conscience protection. Subparagraph (A) [prohibiting interference with provider advice to enrollees] shall not be construed as requiring a Medicare + Choice plan to provide, reimburse for, or provide coverage of a counseling or referral service if the Medicare + Choice organization offering the plan -- (i) objects to the provision of such service on moral or religious grounds; and (ii) in the manner and through the written instrumentalities such Medicare + Choice organization deems appropriate, makes available information on its policies regarding such service to prospective enrollees before or during enrollment and to enrollees within 90 days after the date that the organization or plan adopts a change in policy regarding such a counseling or referral service.
1997	Medicaid: counseling and referral: Prohibits construing the Medicaid statute to require Medicaid managed care plans to provide counseling and referral services to which they have a moral or religious objection. 42 U.S.C. § 1396u-2(b)(3). Construction. Subparagraph (A) [protecting enrollee-provider communications] shall not be construed as requiring a Medicaid managed care organization to provide, reimburse for, or provide coverage of, a counseling or referral service if the organization --(i) objects to the provision of such service on moral or religious grounds; and (ii) in the manner and through the written instrumentalities such organization deems appropriate, makes available information on its policies regarding such service to prospective enrollees before or during enrollment and to enrollees within 90 days after the date that the organization adopts a change in policy regarding such a counseling or referral service.
1998	Federal Employees' Health Benefits Plan Regulation: Protects providers delivering care under the federal employees' health benefits program from being required to discuss treatment options to which they have a conscientious objection. 48 C.F.R. § 1609.7001 (c)(7) . . . Providers, health care workers, or health plan sponsoring organizations are not required to discuss treatment options that they would not ordinarily discuss in their customary course of practice because such options are inconsistent with their professional judgment or ethical, moral or religious beliefs.
1999	Contraceptive coverage for federal employees: Exempts religious health plans from a contraceptive coverage mandate in the federal employees' health benefits program, and prohibits other health plans in this program from discriminating against individuals who object to prescribing or providing contraceptives on moral or religious grounds. Approved every year since 1999. Current provision: Sec. 732 of Title VII of Division D (Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008, Pub. L. No. 110-161. (b) Nothing in this section shall apply to a contract with... any existing or future plan, if the carrier for the plan objects to such coverage on the basis of religious beliefs. (c) In implementing this section, any plan that enters into or renews a contract under this section may not subject any individual to discrimination on the basis that the individual refuses to prescribe or otherwise provide for contraceptives because such activities would be contrary to the individual's religious beliefs or moral convictions.
2000	Congressional intent regarding a DC contraceptive mandate: States Congress's intent that a conscience clause protecting religious beliefs and moral convictions be a part of any DC contraceptive mandate. Approved every year since 2000. Current provision: Sec. 816 of Title VIII of Division D (Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008, Pub. L. No. 110-161. Nothing in this Act may be construed to prevent the Council or Mayor of the District of Columbia from addressing the issue of the provision of contraceptive coverage by health insurance plans, but it is the intent of Congress that any legislation enacted on such issue should include a "conscience clause" which provides exceptions for religious beliefs and moral convictions.
2003	United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003: Protects organizations that receive foreign aid funds to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS from being forced to participate in prevention methods or treatments to which they have religious or moral objections. 22 U.S.C. §7631 (d). An organization that is otherwise eligible to receive assistance under section 104A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (as added by subsection (a)) [22 U.S.C. 2151b-2] or under any other provision of this chapter (or any amendment made by this chapter) to prevent, treat, or monitor HIV/AIDS shall not be required, as a condition of receiving the assistance, to endorse or utilize a multisectoral approach to combatting HIV/AIDS, or to endorse, utilize, or participate in a prevention method or treatment program to which the organization has a religious or moral objection.
2004	Hyde/Weldon Conscience Protection Amendment: Protects physicians and nurses, hospitals, health insurance companies, and other health care entities from being forced by state or federal governments to perform, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions. Approved every year since 2004. Current version: Sec. 508 (d) of Title V of Division G (Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008, Pub. L. No. 110-161. (1) None of the funds made available in this Act may be made available to a Federal agency or program, or to a State or local government, if such agency, program, or government subjects any institutional or individual health care entity to discrimination on the basis that the health care entity does not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions. (2) In this subsection, the term "health care entity" includes an individual physician or other health care professional, a hospital, a provider-sponsored organization, a health maintenance organization, a health insurance plan, or any other kind of health care facility, organization, or plan.

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