{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=400708", "Smith to Host Press Conference on Conscience Protection Act", "2017-11-06", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "NJ", "Christopher Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) will host a press conference Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. on the Conscience Protection Act of 2017, which would uphold the conscience rights of health care providers, religious charities, and churches who are being forced to participate in or provide coverage for abortions. \r\n          share:\r\n          f \r\n          t \r\n        \r\n      \r\n      Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) will host a press conference Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. on the Conscience Protection Act of 2017, which would uphold the conscience rights of health care providers, religious charities, and churches who are being forced to participate in or provide coverage for abortions.  \r\n\r\nNurses who have been forced, against their religious beliefs, to participate in abortions at hospitals will also be present alongside members of Congress to tell their own stories of fighting against discriminatory health care policies, and to advocate for the passage of the Conscience Protection Act. Current federal law does not sufficiently protect the conscience rights of health care professionals and others.  \r\n\r\nThe act originally passed the House in 2016, and has been re-introduced in the House. Supporters are hoping to pass it as part of the appropriations bill for the 2018 fiscal year. It would bar the federal government, and any state and local governments that receive federal funding, from taking action against persons or organizations in the field of health care who conscientiously object to performing, paying for, or participating or assisting in any health procedure they find to be morally objectionable.  \r\n\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\r\nWho:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rep. Andy Harris (MD-01), member of GOP Doctors Caucus and the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Other members of Congress\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cathy DeCarlo \r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Nurse, forced against her religious beliefs to participate in late-term abortion\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Sarah Mendoza\r\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Nurse, threatened with loss of her job for refusing to assist with an abortion\r\n\u00a0\r\nWhat:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Press Conference on Conscience Protection Act\r\n\u00a0\r\nWhen:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017 10 AM\r\n\u00a0\r\nWhere:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 House Triangle (located outside the U.S. Capitol building on the House side)", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=400708"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8295711595565081, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}