Catholic hospitals belonging to the Catholic Healthcare West system, one of the nation's largest, do provide emergency contraception in cases of rape, while a survey of New York Catholic hospitals released last December revealed that in New York, most still do not. Incensed, New York Senator Eric Schneiderman has introduced legislation requiring any licensed emergency room to provide the service. If a non-sectarian health care provider like Kaiser Permanente chose not to provide, say, eye exams, the fight to get eye exams back would be a straightforward one, with clear sides and clear motives. But the conflict over reproductive services offered by Catholic hospitals takes place on the uniquely swampy ground where sex and religion intersect, making the struggle particularly complicated. Advocates for women's health believe their fight is a tough one for the very reason that it affects women, bringing old-fashioned sexism into play.
Religion clouds the discussion as well.
Abortion, a small part of the issue, can overshadow the rest. Lori Cappello Dangberg, Vice President of the Alliance of Catholic Health Care, says it's not the responsibility of the church to make sure local residents have access to all the health services they want. Dangberg points out that many hospitals drop certain services for economic reasons. Government already takes some role. In New York state, mergers have been held up for months or years on these grounds.