HHS Quietly Embraces Life from Conception to Natural Death in Its New Strategic Plan

As President Donald Trump takes on the Obamacare debacle by issuing an executive order to allow changes in the insurance marketplace, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — the federal agency that put the Obama-era health law in place — late last month released a new strategic plan that embraces a pro-life stance on unborn human beings.

A draft of the HHS strategic plan, which is renewed every four years, specifically adds language about babies in the womb as an important part of advancing and protecting human health.

The “Organizational Structure” portion of the plan states:

HHS accomplishes its mission through programs and initiatives that cover a wide spectrum of activities, serving and protecting Americans at every stage of life, beginning at conception.

Christian News noted that the plan has “drawn ire” from pro-abortion groups, noting some of the other language including in the plan:

Strategic Goal Four states:

The research pursued under this strategic goal is to be conducted consistent with the understanding that human subjects [sic] protection applies to all human beings from conception to natural death.

Strategic Goal Four states:

While we may refer to the people we serve as beneficiaries, enrollees, patients, or consumers, our ultimate goal is to improve healthcare outcomes for all people, including the unborn, across healthcare settings.

Strategic Goal 3 states:

A core component of the HHS mission is our dedication to serve all Americans from conception to natural death.

Christian News reported that OBGYN Dr. Jen Gunter wrote a blog post about the plan last week:

This is NO SURPRISE.

After all, these guidelines were probably drafted by Tom Price and Charmaine Yoest, a real life Aunt Lydia, is a Trump appointee to the HHS. Before the election Trump told us he would let the Susan B. Anthony get their faux feminist hands  all over contraception and abortion. Remember, the Susan B. Anthony crowd thinks IUDS and emergency contraception are abortifacients. Science says they are not but heywho needs science when you have a bible?

The left-wing Jezebel site also trashed the new plan for including religious liberty.

Have no doubt: ‘religious liberty’ is a big theme in this document; the HHS plans to ‘reduce burdens on the exercise of religious and moral convictions,’ i.e. increase burdens on women who would like to access birth control.

Under ‘Objective 2.1: Empower people to make informed choices for healthier living,’ ‘faith-based and other community organizations’ are highlighted as a conduit for helping Americans ‘increase control over and improve their health and well-being.’

The draft strategic plan is open for public comment through October 27.