Connect the Dots 101

A second woman has come forward about being denied miscarriage treatment at a Catholic hospital in California, reminding us that pro-choice protections don’t necessarily help if you’re at a religious institution. 

Back in October, we learned that Anna Nusslock was refused care after her water broke just 15 weeks into her pregnancy. Instead, Providence St. Joseph Hospital handed her a bucket and towels for the car ride to another center, “in case something happens in the car.”

By the time Nusslock arrived at the second emergency room, she was “hemorrhaging and passing a blood clot the size of an apple.” She had to be rushed into emergency surgery. 

Now a second woman says she was also denied care at St. Joseph. An anonymous patient filed a suit a few weeks ago detailing three separate incidents where the hospital refused to give her miscarriage treatment. In one such case, she says she had to drive for over five hours to get care in San Francisco.

Today, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a suit against Providence, noting that they violated the state law that requires hospitals to give not just life-saving care but care to prevent “serious injury or illness.” From Bonta:

“We need hospitals to follow the law, at the bare minimum. That is not too much to ask…If you are a human being, you can see how cruel this was.“

And that’s the thing. This isn’t just about preventing death, but preventing suffering. Our standard for care can’t be, well, at least she lived! Watch the press conference with Nusslock and Bonta here.

“[St. Joseph’s] argued that the state’s attempts to require the hospital to provide life-saving abortion care violate the hospital’s religious identity and First Amendment rights…St. Joseph’s motion made a bold claim: The hospital answers to higher authorities than the state of California. It argued that the attorney general cannot enforce state laws, codes or regulations on Catholic institutions because they are bound by the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services set by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.”

To learn more about the role of religious hospitals in the abortion rights fight, revisit AED’s investigation below:”

The Catholic Hospital System Killing Women:

https://jessica.substack.com/p/the-catholic-hospital-system-killing

https://open.substack.com/pub/jessica?r=1ounsg&utm_medium=ios