Some officials, doctors concerned about women's access to care
(NEWSER) - As the Catholic Church and the Obama administration continue to grapple over birth control, a larger issue looms: Women may find themselves with less access to birth control, abortion, sterilization, and other procedures as Catholic medical centers increasingly merge with secular hospitals. About 20 mergers between larger, more financially secure Catholic-sponsored facilities and their smaller secular counterparts have been announced over the past three years, the New York Times reports; in 2010, about one-sixth of all hospital patients were admitted into Catholic facilities. At one Seattle hospital, that means no more elective abortions will be offered; in Illinois, a planned merger will mean that women must get tubal ligations elsewhere. More»
