Crosspost to a relevant GD thread

[MountainLaurel]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2296993

[papau]

1. MA Gov may let Catholic hospitals deny morning-after pill to rape victims

(Thanks for cross posting this :-) )

Romney administration is interjecting some rules for Catholic hospitals in light of the "morning after pill" legislation that is supposed to go into effect next week.
http://news.bostonherald.com/localPolitics/view.bg?articleid=115873&format=text


Gov may let Catholic hospitals deny morning-after pill to rape victims
By Jessica Heslam and Maggie Mulvihill
Wednesday, December 7, 2005 - Updated: 08:01 AM EST

The Romney administration is about to issue rules allowing Catholic hospitals to evade compliance with the state’s controversial new emergency contraception law.

“Mitt Romney has been trying to stand in the way of this law from Day One and this sounds like the next step in his campaign to undermine necessary health care for rape victims,” said Angus McQuilken, spokesman for Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts.

The new law goes into effect next week and requires Bay State hospitals to offer rape victims the so-called morning-after pill. It also allows pharmacists to give out the pill, called Plan B, without a prescription. Massachusetts becomes the eighth state with such a law.

Commissioner of Public Health Paul Cote said yesterday the department is drafting regulations regarding the implementation of the law to be sent to hospitals “as close to Dec. 14 as possible.”

But Cote said private hospitals, including Catholic hospitals, will have the right to “opt out” if the new law is “at odds” with their mission. Cote cited a decades-old morality law that says private hospitals aren’t required to provide services, such as abortions or contraceptive devices, if “contrary to the religious or moral principles” of the hospital’s charter. <snip>

A third of the state’s Catholic hospitals already offer the morning-after pill, which can halt pregnancy if taken within 72 hours.

[femrap]

2. I am so angry over this, I could spit nails.

Don't the directors of the catholic and private hospitals see what they are doing? Are they that consumed with having control and power that they need to flaunt it over a women who has been RAPED. Are those that deny women proper health care after surviving such a heinous crime pro-rape? They think it is a good idea to force woman to carry a rapist's child?

I thought these hospitals were supposed to do no harm....Where is the outrage over the crime of rape? Why isn't the great catholic church doing something about that? I am so sick of their hypocrisy I could vomit. Pedophiles are accommodated....now I guess they want to do the same with rapists. Pretty soon the Pope will come out and say....'Rapists need to reproduce, too....after all it could be a boy and we need priests.'

I can't believe that the a church, a religion could be so cruel, so evil....absolutely demonic. How dare they pray to Jesus....I bet Mary is livid!

Those that deny women the Morning After Pill should have their dicks tied in a knot....

Sorry, I have reached my limit. The only thing going well for w is his f*cking war on women.

[MountainLaurel]

3. That ain't the half of it

Most Catholics hospitals also refuse to prescribe any type of birth control, perform sterilizations (even hysterectomies related to cancer), or do any sort of in vitro procedure. Could someone tell me how these people retain a medical license and a certification with JCAHO?

[Heddi]

4. There are 2 hospitals in my town. One *WAS* a Catholic hospital

up til about 10 years ago. It is now a for-profit hospital with no affiliation with any church or religious group.

As I said--2 hospitals in my town. Closest hospitals after mine are 2 hours away (minimum) in any direction.

Out of the 2 hospitals, only one has OB/GYN services of any kind. Why>

Well, when the other hospital was Catholic, they closed down their OB/GYN ward because they were having problems telling women "no" to getting tubal ligations and hysterectomies after they delivered. They had issues with giving women hysterectomies for any reason, even for cancer or prevention of cancers (uterine, cervical, etc).

So, instead of making a policy (which I would have disagreed with) that they offer no sterilization or hysterectomies, they just shut down the entire OB/GYN ward.

That means ALL babies born not only in this county, but in this part of the state are shuffled to ONE hospital that is a non-profit hospital and is very much understaffed and doesn't have the space for women and their babies.

We also have a very high population of migrant Hispanic workers and Native Americans. These are high-risk groups with regards to need for pre-natal care, postnatal care, ob/gyn services, etc. And they can only be seen at one hospital, and only if that hospital has the room (which they often don't, and have to fly women to Seattle to get ob/gyn services).

It's ridiculous. I could understand the hospital not performing sterilizations, but hysterectomies? On women that have cancer? Or have a high risk of cancer? Not delivering babies in an area that is very much high poverty, etc. We NEED two delivery departments to handle the babies. But we can't get it because some 10 years ago, the Catholics decided that it was MUCH more important that women NOT get sterilized (horror of horrors) than to provide care for pregnant women and their neonates. It was much more important to close one more door to the poor and impoverished of this state than to provide care for them. It was much more important to adhere to religious policy than to provide health services (this is a hospital--not a church). It was much more important to ensure that this county has the highest death-during-delivery stats of the state than to provide medical care for women and their children.

And even more infuriating is that this hospital has been privately owned for at least 10 years. But there are still some nuns and preists that stop by and chat with patients every now and again. And the corporation that owns the hospital won't reinstate the Ob/GYN department because it would "upset the Catholic Community".

:grrr: