Loading...
In the U.S. in 2011, 10 of the top 25 healthcare systems and 10% of acute-care hospitals were Catholic-sponsored, imposing restrictions on women's reproductive health services. How do these policies affect postpartum tubal sterilization (TS)? Are women aware of these constraints on their options?
A geographically and religiously diverse sample of 31 obstetrician/gynecologists (27 of whom had worked in Catholic hospitals) was interviewed about Catholic hospital restrictions on postpartum TS. Areas of concern were risk for harm (e.g., inability to perform postpartum TS despite medical contraindications to further pregnancies, need for second anesthesia and surgery separate from cesarean delivery) and failure of “workarounds” (e.g., despite arr…