As conservatives across the country make moves to ban abortion and limit access to reproductive rights, some hospitals are also making restrictions of their own. But what’s surprising is that these restrictions are coming in a state where abortion is legal at all stages. As one of six states in the country without any term restrictions in regard to when a pregnancy can be terminated, Colorado has statutory protection for abortion as a fundamental right.
So while hospitals cannot restrict abortions, they are targeting other reproductive rights including letting women get their tubes tied. According to the Colorado Sun, not one but two hospitals in the state have decided not to let women get their tubes tied without a public announcement. The second and most recent is the only hospital in Durango with a maternity ward, Mercy Hospital.
According to the “reeducation” provided to staff, Mercy said it would only allow tubal ligations post C-section for one reason: If the woman has a genetic predisposition to ovarian or breast cancer. “This is a very small number of women, and what an arbitrary exception,” Priebe said.
“What about women with hypertension, diabetes, blood clotting disorders, uterine abnormalities, and the many other risk factors that can make pregnancy deadly? It seems the Catholic church does not want a woman dying of cancer but during pregnancy is OK?”
Source: Colorado hospital says women can’t get their tubes tied unless they have cancer