In the news: Faith-based care may not be based entirely on science

According to a report from the National Health Law Program entitled “Health Care Refusals: Undermining Quality Care for Women,” the care provided at faith-based hospitals may be subject to the personal and religious beliefs of the providers. The services most in jeopardy are those related to reproductive and sexual health.

The report cites a case in which woman who had a mass growing in her uterus at the same time she became unexpectedly pregnant. The woman opted for an abortion, but physicians and pharmacists refused to treat her. She eventually found a physician who would do the procedure, but it was too late. The mass had grown so large that woman’s uterus needed to be removed, which would have been prevented had the procedure taken place earlier in her pregnancy.

“At the same time, health care refusals and denials of care are proliferating in the U.S. based on ideological and political justifications that have nothing to do with scientific evidence, good medical practice, or patient needs. These refusals and denials of care should be scrutinized to assess their impact on quality health care and redressed when they fall below the standard of care,” states the study.