The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a final rule that rescinds in part and otherwise revises a December 19, 2008 Bush Administration final rule on enforcement of certain federal nondiscrimination statutes protecting the conscience rights of health care providers and other entities. According to the Obama Administration, the changes rescind terms of the rule “that caused confusion and could be taken as overly broad,” but the Administration asserts that it has not altered the statutory protections under the federal health care provider conscience protection statutes. The rule also provides that enforcement of the federal health care provider conscience protections will be handled by the HHS Office for Civil Rights. The rule is effective March 25, 2011.