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Pro-life, Christian health insurance company launches in Texas
A California woman was denied emergency maternal care at a Catholic-affiliated hospital after her water broke at 17 weeks of pregnancy. Hospital staff said religious directives prevented them from intervening while fetal cardiac activity remained, and she was discharged to miscarry at home. She later received care at a non-Catholic hospital. The article notes that the hospital is part of a Catholic system governed by religious ethical rules and situates the case within wider scrutiny of how such policies operate in a state where reproductive health services are otherwise legally protected, particularly considering many of California's largest hospitals are catholic.
By: Kate Quiñones
Pregnant in California ? What Catholic hospital rules can mean in emergency.
A California woman was denied emergency maternal care at a Catholic-affiliated hospital after her water broke at 17 weeks of pregnancy. Hospital staff said religious directives prevented them from intervening while fetal cardiac activity remained, and she was discharged to miscarry at home. She later received care at a non-Catholic hospital. The article notes that the hospital is part of a Catholic system governed by religious ethical rules and situates the case within wider scrutiny of how such policies operate in a state where reproductive health services are otherwise legally protected, particularly considering many of California's largest hospitals are catholic.
By: Anya Schultz
Pregnant mom uncovers late-term abortions
A pregnant woman describes how she went undercover to document what she says were late-term abortions being performed at a hospital, posing as a patient to obtain information about the procedures. The piece outlines her claims about what she was told by hospital staff and her decision to release recordings and details publicly in order to draw attention to how late-term abortions are handled within the health system.
By: Anna Farrow
On the USCCB's revised “ethical and religious directives" for catholic hospitals
U.S. Catholic bishops voted to formally ban gender-affirming care at Catholic-affiliated hospitals by adopting revised ethical and religious Directives. The updated directives prohibit "surgical or chemical" interventions aimed at changing a person’s sex characteristics. The bishops approved the revisions at their plenary assembly, and the new policy will guide how Catholic hospitals and providers respond to requests for gender-affirming medical care. Each bishop will be responsible for implementing the policy for their dioceses. Catholic leaders emphasized that the care of all patients should be delivered with dignity and respect, even as the ban takes effect. On the same day, progressive religious leaders issued a statement in support of transgender, intersex, and nonbinary people.
By: John M. Grondelski
U.S. bishops officially ban gender-affirming care at Catholic hospitals
U.S. Catholic bishops voted to formally ban gender-affirming care at Catholic-affiliated hospitals by adopting revised ethical and religious Directives. The updated directives prohibit "surgical or chemical" interventions aimed at changing a person’s sex characteristics. The bishops approved the revisions at their plenary assembly, and the new policy will guide how Catholic hospitals and providers respond to requests for gender-affirming medical care. Each bishop will be responsible for implementing the policy for their dioceses. Catholic leaders emphasized that the care of all patients should be delivered with dignity and respect, even as the ban takes effect. On the same day, progressive religious leaders issued a statement in support of transgender, intersex, and nonbinary people.
By: The Associated Press
Doctors alarmed by Health Canada's push for MAiD talks with patients
Some Canadian doctors are raising concerns about a Health Canada “Model Practice Standard” that would encourage physicians and nurse practitioners to raise the possibility of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) with patients they believe might be eligible and receptive. Critics argue that the guideline could amount to “compelled speech” and influence vulnerable patients toward considering euthanasia. A Health Canada spokesperson said the standard was developed with input from regulatory bodies and clinicians, but reiterated that the federal government cannot force provinces or health authorities to adopt it.
By: Terry O’Neill