Health Worker Conscience Protection Rule Delayed (1)

A rule allowing some health-care workers to deny treatment based on their religious beliefs won’t take effect until after lawsuits challenging it are resolved, the Department of Health and Human Services told a federal court.

The HHS, in a filing June 28, said it agreed to postpone the rule’s implementation until Nov. 22 “because it is the most efficient way to adjudicate the final rule on the merits.” The rule, which will bolster health workers’ ability to deny care based on their religious beliefs, was set to take effect in July.

Judge William Alsup of the U.S. District Court for ...