Inspired by the recent events in a Catholic Hospital in Arizona, The American Civil Liberties Union is stepping up and demanding that the government guarantee that all women will have access to the full battery of reproductive health services, regardless of the background or denomination of the hospital she enters.

From the press release:

The American Civil Liberties Union today asked the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services to ensure that religiously-affiliated hospitals provide emergency reproductive care as required by federal law, specifically the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) and the Conditions of Participation of Medicare and Medicaid (COP).

“The lives and health of pregnant women seeking medical care should be of paramount importance,” said Brigitte Amiri, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. “No woman should have to worry that she will not receive the care she needs based on the affiliation of the nearest hospital.”

The ACLU expressed concerns over the case of Sister Margaret McBride of St. Joseph’s Hospital, and her demotion and excommunication for approving a life-saving abortion procedure.

“While the hospital in this case made the right decision in saving this woman’s life, the subsequent treatment of the staff could have a chilling effect on the staff at hospitals across the country that may face similar situations in the future,” said Daniel Pochoda, Legal Director of the ACLU of Arizona.

A full letter, which cites a wide variety of incidents of women being denied needed reproductive services at various hospitals due to religious concerns, can be found here.  Incidents include being forced to leave and go to other hospitals for pregnancy terminations while in the middle of miscarrying, and even a case of a woman being refused needed care until her fetus no longer registered a heartbeat.