Federal Health Care Conscience Protection Statutes

Legal Information

The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has been designated to receive complaints of discrimination based on the Federal Health Care Conscience Protection Statutes, including the:

• Church Amendments (42 U.S.C. § 300a-7)
• Public Health Service (PHS) Act §245 (42 U.S.C. § 238n)
• Weldon Amendment (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012, Pub. L. No. 112-74, 125 Stat 786)

Resources

• Your Rights Under the Federal Health Care Provider Conscience Protection Laws
• Enforcement of the Federal Health Care Provider Conscience Protection Laws

How to File a Complaint Under the Federal Health Care Provider Conscience Protection Statutes

If you wish to file a complaint under the Federal Health Care Provider Conscience Protection Statutes, because you believe you have suffered discrimination on the basis of your objection to, participation in, or refusal to participate in, specific medical procedures, including abortion and sterilization, and related training and research activities; or if you believe that you have been coerced into performing procedures that you find religiously or morally objectionable, you may file a complaint with OCR.  

We recommend that you use the Civil Rights Discrimination Complaint Form Package.  For a complaint under the Federal Health Care Conscience Protection Statutes, please check “Other” as the basis of the discrimination and write in “Conscience Protection.”

You can also request a copy of the complaint form from an OCR regional office. If you need help filing a complaint or have a question about the complaint or consent forms, please review our How to File a Complaint web page or email OCR at OCRMail@hhs.gov.