Doctors at Catholic hospitals 'actively discouraged' from referring women elsewhere for abortions

[trotsky]

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/doctors.at.catholic.hospitals.actively.discouraged.from.referring.women.elsewhere.for.abortions/93356.htm

Doctors working at Catholic hospitals in the US may be being prevented from referring women to facilities that provide abortions, according to a new study.

Catholic healthcare institutions, which make up 15 per cent of acute care hospitals in the US – 548 in total – are advised by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops that they should not perform abortions or sterilisations. They are also advised not to promote contraception.

New research has now found that they may not refer patients to other institutions where these procedures can be carried out.

Interviews with 27 practising obstetrician-gynecologists with experience working at a Catholic hospital revealed that in some facilities, referrals to places like Planned Parenthood were allowed or even encouraged, but in others, referral was actively discouraged, or doctors kept their referral activity hidden.

So much for the "they can just go to another hospital" pathetic excuse. When women aren't even told they have another option to get the care they want, how can they make the choice?

[Jerry442]

1. Time for the mother of all class action lawsuits. NT

[niyad]

2. and it really sucks when that catholic hospital is the only health care in an area, so there

really are no other options.

[cleanhippie]

3. That's the point of catholic hospitals buying them all up...

[trotsky]

4. Exactly.

What they can't accomplish legally (take away every woman's reproductive rights), they will do logistically.

It is astonishing how many people are willing to ignore or excuse this attack on women.

[skepticscott]

5. Especially how many doctors

are silent in the face of such blatantly unethical practices.

[Lordquinton]

6. Howany people are not only fine with this, but promote it

Is appalling. Big they're getting into the medical field, they should not be allowed to withhold services. Their beliefs need to end when they go into business.

[Angry Dragon]

7. I agree 100%

[trotsky]

8. The kicker is, they're not satisfied just forcing rules on their members.

That's one thing. At least they signed up for the religion knowing what it wasn't going to let them make their own decisions on.

But it's all the non-Catholics who are now forced to live by another religion's rules. At the potential cost of their health and/or life. Lovely.

[Lordquinton]

9. They are infringing on everyone else's rights

But point that out and you get called a bigot.