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<p>I believe this is what’s known as assuming a fact that is not in evidence.</p>
<p>And on another note:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/20060202_catholicshospitalsskirtlaw.asp[/url]”>http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/20060202_catholicshospitalsskirtlaw.asp</a></p>
<p>Study of how Catholic hospitals deal with requests from rape victims for emergency contraception, even in states where the law says hospitals must provide EC or referrals:</p>
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<p>The Catholic hospital in our city does not do abortions of any kind. Doctors in residence there do not learn how to do them. Fortunately there are other hospitals in our fair city.</p>
<p>I have no idea what the Catholic hospital would do in the case of maternal distress–abortion to save her life or send her to the emergency room at the next hospital?</p>
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The Catholic hospital in our city won’t do tubals either, even if the mother has been advised not to get pregnant again for health reasons.</p>
<p>Doctors who practice at Catholic hospitals whose patients want tubals or abortions (and who want to perform these procedures) will have privileges at another hospital as well, or can refer to another facility or another doctor, if s/he doesn’t do the procedures. The woman goes there for these elective procedures. A tubal is not an emergency procedure, and the woman can avoid pregnancy until it is done. If she really wants to have it done at the time of delivery, then she can find a hospital that does births and tubals.</p>
<p>In the case of the woman who was having a miscarriage, then this is not viewed as an elective abortion and is treated differently.</p>
<p>Catholic hospitals have done a tremendous service over the years in this country, but they also are founded with certain principles.</p>
<p>^^Which is their right; as of now, at least–as it is the right of any Catholic physician to decline to do abortions.</p>
<p>There are usually other doctors and hospitals to choose from. Maybe I’m wrong, but I doubt very much that there is any area of the country in which there are no alternatives to Catholic physicians and Catholic hospitals.</p>
<p>Actually because of mergers and coop agreements, it’s becoming an issue, especially for rural areas that are already short on hospital beds. When a Catholic hospital joins a co-op, frequently it’s set up so that all the hospitals in the group immediate stop providing birth control, emergency contraception to rape victims, and tubal ligations.</p>
<p>Guess who pays for some of the these mergers?</p>
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<p>It appears that it is not true that Catholic hospitals make exceptions when the fetus cannot live; they still deny the mother the procedures she needs to safeguard her health, regardless.</p>
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<p><a href=“http://www.choicematters.org/articles/hospitalmerger01.html[/url]”>http://www.choicematters.org/articles/hospitalmerger01.html</a></p>
<p>^^Yeah, I didn’t think aborting a Down syndrome baby would fly with the Catholic church.</p>
<p>Ah, that pesky government support for right wing ideology again…it just keeps popping up!</p>
<p>The overwhelming majority of Catholic hospitals do administer Plan B to rape victims; however, not during the ovulation part of the cycle.</p>
<p>They may have policies in place–in many places they’re obligated to by law–but the study I cited found that actual practice differed from policy.</p>
<p>And the fact that they’re willing to administer emergency contraception only when it’s the least likely to be needed doesn’t really get them many gold stars.</p>
<p>And the trend is moving toward withholding EC from rape victims in all circumstances, even when the hospitals are breaking the law by doing so:</p>
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<p><a href=“http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/20060202_catholicshospitalsskirtlaw.asp[/url]”>http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/20060202_catholicshospitalsskirtlaw.asp</a></p>
<p>“The overwhelming majority of Catholic hospitals do administer Plan B to rape victims; however, not during the ovulation part of the cycle.”</p>
<p>That’s wonderful, except that in quite a few states it is illegal. (Details, details…)</p>
<p>hh–who said anything about aborting a Down Syndrome baby? </p>
<p>I think it is unconscionable of these hospitals to allow misplaced concern for an obviously doomed fetus to put the mother’s health at risk. What is modern medicine for? Do we not “meddle” when we offer heart transplants–or any medical procedure, for that matter? Or should we do nothing because we might be “playing God”?</p>
<p>True, there are a lot of details involved–more than “Catholics for a Free Choice” is about to reveal anyway. :)</p>
<p>I was referring to the piece conyat posted, mommusic.</p>
<p>I found this on a message board and thought it was interesting. I don’t know if this is universally true, but it sounds right:</p>
<p>"I just want to mention that if you have a D&C in a catholic hospital, as I did find that it is treated much differently that at other facilities.</p>
<p>1st it is confirmed that the baby is not alive then they double check. Afterwards they complete a death record (certificate) and finally after they have done the necessary tests your child is cremated and buried in the local catholic cemetary. There a baby is always a baby.</p>
<p>I did choose to have the D&C’s because I have 5 children that I home school. I couldn’t stand the idea that I might have an emergency situation while alone with them. Also the pathology report was important to us because my sister had a molar pregnancy and that can run the risk of cancer so it was important to check these things out."</p>
<p>If Catholic hospitals are founded on certain principles, then so be it. There are multiple ways to transfer patients to other facilities if necessary, and no one on this thread has proven that Catholic hospitals would let a woman die during a miscarriage.</p>
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<p>I think she means post #268. The situation that I quoted came from a lengthy article that also included a story about a woman seeking abortion for an unborn child with Downs. That was a completely different situation from the one I cited in my post, so as you can imagine, HH’s response was something of a non sequitor.</p>
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<p>I’ll go you one better. I don’t think anyone on this thread even alleged that. </p>
<p>But if you read the part I posted about the woman whose doctor had to pay for a 2 hour cab ride for her when she was at serious risk of losing her uterus to an infection when her water broke before the fetus could survive and the Catholic hospital refused to admit her-- it’s been demonstrated that Catholic hospitals sometimes put the bishops’ preferences over women’s medical needs, in some cases whether referral is practical or even attempted.</p>
<p>hh–sorry–I did not read the article until now.</p>
<p>Voluntary sterilization is “intrinsically evil”? Not in MY rule book.</p>
<p>Just to clarify, post #269 appears to imply that the situation described in post #268 involves a baby with Down’s syndrome. Not true. The situation described in post #268 had nothing to do with Down’s syndrome whatsoever.</p>
<p>“But if you read the part I posted about the woman whose doctor had to pay for a 2 hour cab ride for her when she was at serious risk of losing her uterus to an infection when her water broke before the fetus could survive and the Catholic hospital refused to admit her-- it’s been demonstrated that Catholic hospitals sometimes put the bishops’ preferences over women’s medical needs, in some cases whether referral is practical or even attempted.”</p>
<p>First of all, the doctor stated that was “several years ago.” Second of all, any patient who is really in such trouble would either have been treated at the original hospital, or transferred by ambulance, not cab. There are actually laws that would prohibit this type of transfer by cab if the woman’s life is in danger, as well as standards for good medical practice. I don’t think that an anecdote from “several years ago” proves anything about standards of medical care in Catholic hospitals. Try again by finding hospital regulations, etc. I know about the general high standards in Catholic hospitals, and the incredible service that they have done for patients over the years.</p>