UPDATE 1-US regulation stops short of defining abortion

(Adds comment from opponents, paragraphs 6-10)

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - U.S. health officials released a controversial regulation on Thursday to protect health professionals who do not want to provide abortions or certain other health care services.

The regulation could strip federal funding from employers or institutions that fire a doctor, nurse, pharmacist or other health professional who refuses to provide abortion care or information.

But it no longer defines some types of contraception as abortion, after family planning groups complained an earlier draft would have defined abortion to include birth control pills and the intrauterine device or IUD.

"This is about protecting the right of a physician to practice medicine according to his or her moral compass," Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt told reporters in a conference call. "There is nothing in this rule that would in any way change a patient's right to a legal procedure."

He said it enforces three existing federal laws. Those laws allow providers to opt out of offering the abortion pill RU-486 and emergency contraception.

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America said the regulation was deliberately vague.

"At least they wrote a definition of abortion," Roger Evans, director of litigation at the group, told reporters.