The Central Committee of the Idaho State Republican Party met this weekend to deal with various party matters. We are gratified to report that it took the time to issue a call upon the Idaho Legislature to enact a strong and comprehensive law protecting the conscience rights of Idaho health care professionals.

The resolution adopted unanimously by the Central Committee said, in part:

“Whereas the present national administration has repealed conscience protections for the nation’s health care professions enacted by President Bush, and whereas medical personnel are facing increasing pressures to compromise or violate their deeply held religious principles, leading some to reconsider their involvement in medicine, and whereas Idaho already suffers from a shortage of doctors and nurses… Be it resolved that the Idaho Republican Party Central Committee hereby calls upon the 2010 Legislature to enact strong and comprehensive conscience protections for all health care professionals practicing in our state.”

That is a terrific piece of leadership from the party’s elders, and ought to add some real momentum to our efforts to protect all Idahoans by protecting the integrity of the healing professions.

The Central Committee also adopted a very strong resolution calling upon the Legislature to resist liberal efforts to nationalize health care. The resolution was based upon the principle that the 10th Amendment does not allow Congress and President Obama to force us into collectivist scheme on health care.

The Republican committee specifically petitions the Legislature to pass legislative which will help protect the freedoms of Idaho families to make our own decisions on health care and to actively challenge as unconstitutional any national health care program.

We shall see what the Idaho Legislature does with these important and timely calls to action. States must rise to defend the people against the numerous threats being created by the Obama Administration.