Policy changes expected in reproductive health.(NEWS)

Observers expect that one of President Barack Obama's early moves may be to stop action on a controversial federal abortion regulation.

The regulation, issued last month by the Bush administration, withholds federal payment and funding from providers who do not certify that they do not discriminate against physicians and midlevel providers who refuse to perform abortion or sterilization procedures.

The regulation has been stirring controversy among abortion rights advocates since it was first proposed in August 2008. They contend that the regulation is overly broad and as a result would decrease access to reproductive health services, including contraception. Meanwhile, supporters, such as the Christian Medical Association, say the Bush administration's approach is balanced and helps clear up misconceptions about the conscience protections already in place under existing law.

If President Obama chooses to stop the regulation he has a few options, said Janet Crepps, deputy director of the U.S. Legal Program at the Center for Reproductive Rights. He could formally rescind the regulation by going through the federal rule-making process, which would involve giving notice and allowing for public comment. He could also immediately suspend enforcement of the regulation. Or he could work with Congress on a way to block the regulation through legislation, she said.

Democrats in Congress have already indicated their willingness to act to reverse the regulation. At the end of the last session of Congress, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and then-Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), introduced a bill that would stop all action on the regulation.

Aside from addressing the conscience refusal issue, reproductive health advocates expect that the Obama administration's health care agenda may include changes to expand access to emergency contraception, increase funding for family planning, and take a more comprehensive approach to sex education.

"We certainly have a pent up agenda," said Susan Cohen, director of government affairs at the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit research and education organization focused on sexual and reproductive health.