California and six other states sued the federal government Thursday over the “conscience protection” rule, according to which doctors, hospitals and even receptionists and volunteers in medical experiments can refuse to take part in certain medical procedures, abortions for examples, if said procedures are against their religious beliefs or moral convictions.

 

The rule was passed by the Bush administration last month and set to take effect Tuesday, the day before President George Bush leaves office. It will allow doctors to say no to abortion, birth control, emergency contraception, in vitro fertilization, stem cell research and assisted suicide.

 

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal sued in federal court in Hartford on behalf of the states, saying that such a rule would trump state laws protecting women’s access to birth control, reproductive health services and emergency contraception, something that women’s health and family planning advocates, abortion-rights activists, members of Congress and others said it would happen at the time.

 

“On its way out, the Bush administration has left a ticking legal time bomb set to explode literally the day of the inaugural and blow apart vital constitutional rights and women's health care. Women's health may be endangered -- needlessly and unlawfully -- if this rule is allowed to stand,” Blumenthal said in a statement.

 

President-elect Barack Obama criticized the rule when it was proposed last summer when he and his administration stated that they were “committed to ensuring that the health and reproductive rights of women are protected.” By the time the rule was passed, spokesman Nick Shapiro issued a statement that said Obama “will review all eleventh-hour regulations and will address them once he is president.” However, it would take months before the Obama administration could revise such a rule.

 

Planned Parenthood of Federation of America Inc. and the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association said they are filing separate, parallel lawsuits.