I remember standing in this phone booth in the freezing rain, pumping money in the coin slot, crying. It took me a long time to hang up on her. If, however, your doctor is affiliated with the Catholic Church, that choice may not be so easy to make. From snail mail to the internet, hate finds its way. Violence and controversy spark an abortion-provider shortage .
Catholic hospitals can even refuse to refer patients to facilities that do offer such services.
Legislative tolerance of such restrictions is growing, according to a January article in The Nation . As a result, health plans for federal employees may use religious or ethical grounds to curtail reproductive care. According to The Nation , pharmacists in South Dakota are legally allowed to deny a woman a prescription if they have reason to believe it will be used to terminate a pregnancy. Catholic health-care providers aren't cagey about the church's philosophy. Larry Maniscalco, director of Mission Services for Memorial Hospital in Santa Rosa, offers to provide articles and pamphlets, even underlining sections of the directives that apply to reproductive care.