Religion at the Bedside

In 2016, one of every six U.S. hospital beds was operated by an organization adhering to the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, which limit access to contraception, sterilization, abortion, and other services. Annually, 529,000 deliveries occur in Catholic-affiliated hospitals. Researchers performed a scoping study to examine the relationship between Catholic affiliation and reproductive healthcare provision. Service provision varied at different Catholic sites, but there were generally more restrictions to care in Catholic than in non-Catholic settings.

In another recent study, a nationally representative sample of 1430 English-speaking women ages 18 to 45 were asked to identify whether the hospital where th…