Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, former governor of Utah, issued new rules yesterday protecting physicians – despite immense pressure from the Abortion Lobby.

Over the past several months, Planned Parenthood and MoveOn.org have been jamming the HHS website with “petitions” from folks purportedly concerned about the new regulations. According to one web report, Leavitt received some 325,000 names on Wednesday – a number questioned by some because of the way Planned Parenthood has misrepresented the issue at stake.

In his own web action yesterday, Secretary Leavitt made it clear that he would nevertheless act to protect physicians from being forced into performing abortions: “Federal law is explicit and unwavering in protecting federally funded medical practitioners from being coerced into providing treatments they find morally objectionable.”

Leavitt’s action was necessary because of politically-motivated actions by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Under the fierce influence of abortionists within their ranks, ACOG has made moves to force all OBGyns into performing abortions as a condition for certification by the organization. As Secretary Leavitt notes, “physician certification is a powerful instrument; without it, a doctor cannot practice the specialty.”

Before issuing the new rule, Leavitt asked the governing board of ACOG to make it clear that abortion practice would not be made mandatory: Such a standard would not only violate federal law, “it violates decency and the core value of personal liberty.”

The abortion hacks running ACOG refused – hence Leavitt’s action.

His proposed rule makes it clear that the protections for provider conscience apply to institutional health care providers as well as individual employees of institutions (including medical schools) receiving federal funds.

Leavitt is to be highly commended for standing against intense pressure by the Abortion Lobby.