This is the state of religious freedom in this country today. There is an all out push from legislators and abortion advocates to force Catholic hospitals to perform abortions or just cease existing entirely.
The Statesman reports:
A national nonprofit that advocates for church-state separation is challenging an agreement involving the public Central Health hospital district, the University of Texas and the Catholic Church-affiliated Seton Healthcare Family.
Three lawyers with Americans United for Separation of Church and State sent a letter to Central Health board members and UT President Bill Powers saying that a Central Health-Seton master agreement is unconstitutional because of religious restrictions on some Seton hospital services, such as sterilizations. They asked that the agreement be reworked or scrapped.
Elsewhere, you have the California Attorney General deciding whether Hoag hospital must be forced to perform abortions which ceased performing them because it partnered with a Catholic hospital.
And check out this editorial from the Seattle Times which seems to think that Catholic health care is the most clear and present danger facing America today. Just check out the first few grafs:
THE increasing influence of Catholic health systems in Washington state has many concerned access to care that conflicts with the church’s beliefs will be diminished.
Many Catholic hospitals place restrictions on some reproductive care, such as elective abortions, and on certain end-of-life services, including physician-assisted suicide.
In May, a coalition led by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington asked Gov. Jay Inslee to issue a six-month moratorium on mergers.
Inslee does not have legal standing to stall these new partnerships, but he started asking important questions. He directed the state Department of Health to update Washington’s Certificate of Need program, which is the regulatory process used to approve changes in health-care provider ownership, facilities and services.
I guess what they meant by “pro-choice” all these years is the choice between closing down shop and performing abortions.
