It's Our Way Or No Way
Women hoping to have a tubal ligation have had to travel far beyond their rural hospital to procure the procedure. That's what happens when a public service, paid for by public taxes is operated under the auspices of a religious body. It simply defies intelligence that a public hospital, in this instance a Catholic facility operating in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, insists that their institution operates under the umbrella of Catholic health ethics.
What that effectively means is that a simple, but vital procedure for many women remained out of their reach locally. These women who determine that they wish to procure a tubal ligation procedure because they feel their families are now complete and they don't wish to bring any more children into the world, were refused service.
This procedure, which blocks a woman's fallopian tubes is a responsible alternative for conception-avoidance, and a permanent one. Not a decision easily reached. Immeasurably more effective and certainly a more comfortable decision, more morally and ethically acceptable than reliance on abortions.
Not, it would seem, in the eyes of those who administer the affairs of St. Elizabeth hospital in Humboldt. That esteemed institution reflects the dogma of the Catholic church by opposing assisted reproduction, sterlization and any kind of contraceptive use, on religious grounds. The hospital objected to the use of tubal ligations for contraceptive purposes.
Its policy was that tubal ligations should be conducted solely for recognized medical reasons. Those reasons might include cases where women could suffer serious health problems resulting from pregnancy. Their recalcitrant policies have caused three staff physicians to surrender their posts with the hospital, objecting to the hospital's adherence to religious strictures.
Not a very useful situation in a small town where across the country there are ongoing struggles related to insufficient medical help, a paucity of doctors willing to locate in rural communities, and residents bemoaning their inability to find adequate health service through the practises of area doctors. In the wake of the resignation of three staff members, the hospital agreed to review its policies.
The new policy, while indicating that the hospital still aligns itself with the teachings of the Catholic church which opposes the use of tubal ligation for contraception, sterilization will be permitted "when the primary purpose is to benefit the total health of the person". In other words, the procedure can be performed for the medical, psychological or emotional well-being of a patient, with the doctor and patient determining justification.
The new policy no longer permits the hospital to conduct audits of tubal ligations performed in its operating rooms. It would appear that the hospital was recently held to account for violation of privacy legislation by permitting two members of its board - a priest and an administrator, to check patient charts for the purpose of determining the reason why sterilization had been performed.
The mind boggles.
What that effectively means is that a simple, but vital procedure for many women remained out of their reach locally. These women who determine that they wish to procure a tubal ligation procedure because they feel their families are now complete and they don't wish to bring any more children into the world, were refused service.
This procedure, which blocks a woman's fallopian tubes is a responsible alternative for conception-avoidance, and a permanent one. Not a decision easily reached. Immeasurably more effective and certainly a more comfortable decision, more morally and ethically acceptable than reliance on abortions.
Not, it would seem, in the eyes of those who administer the affairs of St. Elizabeth hospital in Humboldt. That esteemed institution reflects the dogma of the Catholic church by opposing assisted reproduction, sterlization and any kind of contraceptive use, on religious grounds. The hospital objected to the use of tubal ligations for contraceptive purposes.
Its policy was that tubal ligations should be conducted solely for recognized medical reasons. Those reasons might include cases where women could suffer serious health problems resulting from pregnancy. Their recalcitrant policies have caused three staff physicians to surrender their posts with the hospital, objecting to the hospital's adherence to religious strictures.
Not a very useful situation in a small town where across the country there are ongoing struggles related to insufficient medical help, a paucity of doctors willing to locate in rural communities, and residents bemoaning their inability to find adequate health service through the practises of area doctors. In the wake of the resignation of three staff members, the hospital agreed to review its policies.
The new policy, while indicating that the hospital still aligns itself with the teachings of the Catholic church which opposes the use of tubal ligation for contraception, sterilization will be permitted "when the primary purpose is to benefit the total health of the person". In other words, the procedure can be performed for the medical, psychological or emotional well-being of a patient, with the doctor and patient determining justification.
The new policy no longer permits the hospital to conduct audits of tubal ligations performed in its operating rooms. It would appear that the hospital was recently held to account for violation of privacy legislation by permitting two members of its board - a priest and an administrator, to check patient charts for the purpose of determining the reason why sterilization had been performed.
The mind boggles.
posted by Pieface | 1:48 PM
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