* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Catholic-affiliated institutions often try to impose religious restrictions on abortions and contraception, says paper
By Maria Caspani
LONDON (TrustLaw) - Mergers between Roman Catholic and secular hospitals in the United States are limiting some women’s access to reproductive healthcare, the New York Times has warned in an op-ed.
Because of shifts in healthcare economics, cash-strapped public hospitals have been seeking financial support from wealthier institutions, many of them Catholic-affiliated, which often try to impose religious restrictions on abortions, contraception and sterilisation, the newspaper said.
Such partnerships can leave women, especially low-income women in rural areas, without options when in need of reproductive services.
The influential American paper said the nation’s 600 Catholic medical centres are “an important part of the healthcare system, as they provide treatment to one-sixth of all hospital patients and are sometimes the only medical institutions serving small communities”.
But the editorial urged U.S. state regulators to “closely examine such mergers and use whatever powers they have to block those that diminish women’s access to medical care”.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
