Publicly funded hospitals are using the cover of religion to opt out of providing reproductive care - and experts say it has created a ‘postcode lottery’ for access to services
hen Sarah*, a Melbourne mother, was pregnant with her second child, her GP gave her a surprising warning: if she had any serious complications, concerns about the viability of the pregnancy or believed she might be miscarrying, she should go to the Royal women’s hospital rather than the Mercy hospital for women, where she was planning to deliver the baby.
Like a number of publicly funded Catholic hospitals around Australia, the Mercy’s religious affiliation limits the scope of reproductive services it provides. “Sexual assault does not get seen at the Mercy specifically because they can’t provide morning-after contraception,” claims a senior gynaecologist who works in Melbourne and asked to remain anonymous.
, and this may be a Catholic hospital if they live in that catchment area. Many hospitals will not treat patients who fall out of the catchment zone, creating what some family planning workers describe as a postcode lottery for access to services. It was an alien concept to me to have religion involved in healthcare, which should be an evidence-based public provisionAnother doctor, who trained in obstetrics at the Mater, recalls being told by a senior colleague when she asked about prescribing a patient an IUD: “You’ll need to change or modify the reason for why you would give her a Mirena.
“We’ve heard of people being turned away from the Mater … with suicidality and attempted self-abortion. If you look at the legislation in Queensland, even if there is conscientious objection, you can’t turn someone away in an emergency.
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