Public comment period on repealing Bush’s HHS regs until April 9

Got this yesterday from the Center for Reproductive Rights, reminding people that you have until April 9 to submit a public comment on repealing Bush’s last-minute bullshit HHS regulations. If you haven’t done it yet, do, because as CRR makes a point of mentioning, you can rest assured our opposition is all over this.

A refresher:

On March 6, the Obama administration officially proposed to rescind a health regulation that would drastically hinder women’s ability to get reproductive health services, including basic care such as contraception, counseling and information necessary to make decisions about their own health. The regulation was issued in December by the Department of Health and Human Services shortly before President George W. Bush left office.

Under the rule, people only marginally related to providing healthcare and an increased number of medical institutions are allowed to refuse a woman care based on religious or moral beliefs. In effect, healthcare providers, like doctors and nurses, can now deny a woman counseling and referrals. And virtually anyone involved with providing a woman services, like a receptionist or a health insurance claim officer, can block a woman’s access to services. The Bush administration claimed that this would further protect healthcare providers against discrimination; but in reality, it leaves women who rely on public programs unprotected and seriously violates their rights and needs as patients. The rule also purposely leaves the door open for health care providers to justify refusing a woman basic forms of contraception such as birth control pills and IUDs.

There’s more on the website, and definitely check it out. It’s a very specific process, submitting comments, and there are a lot of very specific ways you do it. They’ve also some suggestions for language, if you need a little message guidance.

Update: Meant to at least include a link to the public comment website yesterday, but here are all the ways you can submit:

Please make sure your comments refer to “Rescission Proposal.”

• You may submit electronic comments on the regulations to http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment&o=090000648090229f or by e-mail to proposedrescission@hhs.gov.
• You may mail written comments (one original and two copies) to the following address: Office of Public Health and Science, Department of Health and Human Services, Attention: Rescission Proposal Comments, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 716G, Washington, DC 20201. Make sure they are received by April 9.
• You may hand deliver or courier comments (one original and two copies) before the close of the comment period (April 9) to the following address: Room 716G, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20201. (Because access to the interior of the Hubert H. Humphrey Building is not readily available to those without federal government identification, people are encouraged to leave their comments in the mail drop slots located in the main lobby of the building. A stamp- in clock is available for persons wishing to retain proof of filing by stamping in and retaining an extra copy of the documents being filed.)