The increased consolidation of hospitals often involves those owned by the Roman Catholic Church, and that has caused controversies about the imposition of church doctrine on the new partnerships, including many in rural areas. Some say the Catholic-based hospitals are forcing their religious beliefs on patients and denying treatments, such as tubal ligations, abortions or the right to die, which is legal in Washington state, where the battle is coming to a head in several areas.
The American Civil Liberties Union has joined the fight in rural northwestern Washington, saying the financial agreement between United General Hospital in Sedro-Wooley, and the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center violates the state's constitution by
restricting access to some medical services, reports Gina Cole for the Skagit Valley Herald, on Puget Sound. (Map from The Seattle Times shows Washington hospitals with proposed or existing religious affiliations; click on image for larger version)
A letter from the ACLU says patients "have the right to expect that a tax-supported health care facility will not deny them basic, lawful and medically proven health services on the grounds that such services conflict with religious doctrine. We urge the hospital to ensure that residents protect patients’ right to access health care services without religious influence,” reports Cole. (Read more)
If pending and possible proposals are completed, hospitals and clinics in as many as 10 Washington counties could be run by Catholic affiliates, reports Carol Ostrom for The Seattle Times."Those medical centers account for nearly half the hospital beds statewide." (Read more)
With many rural hospitals struggling to provide care for patients, "Catholic hospital leaders said that changes in the medical and economic landscape could threaten service to millions of Americans in rural and suburban areas who might have no choices at all if their local hospital closed or shrank," reports Kirk Johnson for The New York Times. "The issue is not availability of abortion or consult to the dying, they say, which will still be available in secular institutions not that far away, but access to care at all." (Read more)
The American Civil Liberties Union has joined the fight in rural northwestern Washington, saying the financial agreement between United General Hospital in Sedro-Wooley, and the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center violates the state's constitution by
restricting access to some medical services, reports Gina Cole for the Skagit Valley Herald, on Puget Sound. (Map from The Seattle Times shows Washington hospitals with proposed or existing religious affiliations; click on image for larger version) A letter from the ACLU says patients "have the right to expect that a tax-supported health care facility will not deny them basic, lawful and medically proven health services on the grounds that such services conflict with religious doctrine. We urge the hospital to ensure that residents protect patients’ right to access health care services without religious influence,” reports Cole. (Read more)
If pending and possible proposals are completed, hospitals and clinics in as many as 10 Washington counties could be run by Catholic affiliates, reports Carol Ostrom for The Seattle Times."Those medical centers account for nearly half the hospital beds statewide." (Read more)
With many rural hospitals struggling to provide care for patients, "Catholic hospital leaders said that changes in the medical and economic landscape could threaten service to millions of Americans in rural and suburban areas who might have no choices at all if their local hospital closed or shrank," reports Kirk Johnson for The New York Times. "The issue is not availability of abortion or consult to the dying, they say, which will still be available in secular institutions not that far away, but access to care at all." (Read more)
No comments:
Post a Comment