Crosscut Now
Jul. 12, 2022 - WA’s religious hospitals prohibit abortion
7/12/2022 | 1m 15sVideo has Closed Captions
Abortion rights in WA fall into limbo at religious hospitals.
When hospitals merge with religious institutions, it weakens Washington's capacity to provide abortion care. What will that mean after Roe v. Wade?
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Crosscut Now is a local public television program presented by Cascade PBS
Crosscut Now
Jul. 12, 2022 - WA’s religious hospitals prohibit abortion
7/12/2022 | 1m 15sVideo has Closed Captions
When hospitals merge with religious institutions, it weakens Washington's capacity to provide abortion care. What will that mean after Roe v. Wade?
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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About half of the healthcare systems in Washington are affiliated with religious organizations.
So even with state level protections for abortion, hospitals in Washington can restrict reproductive healthcare based on religious protocols.
The result is a patchwork of health policies that vary by hospital.
A set of theologically rooted guidelines for Catholic healthcare institutions prohibits abortion entirely, but their limitations extend beyond elective abortion.
For example, if a patient has an ectopic pregnancy, which is a non-viable pregnancy that occurs when a fertilized egg develops outside the uterus, any intervention that includes an abortion is forbidden.
But termination is the only treatment for ectopic pregnancy.
Left untreated, the condition can cause the fallopian tube to rupture, which is a life threatening medical emergency.
I'm Starla Sampaco.
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Crosscut Now is a local public television program presented by Cascade PBS