Catholic Hospitals Should Permit Physicians to Provide Emergency Contraception to Rape Victims as an Act of Conscientious Provision. (February 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Brummett, Abram; Mason-Maready, Marlee; Whiting, Victoria
• Is Part Of: Linacre quarterly. Volume 90:Number 1(2023)
• Page Start: 24
• Page End: 34
• Publication Date: 2023-02
• Subjects: Conscientious provision -- Catholic health care -- emergency contraception -- reasonable disagreement; Medical ethics -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Societies, etc -- Periodicals; 174.2
• DOI: 10.1177/00243639221098227
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0024-3639

Abstract

While many Catholic hospitals permit the prescription of the emergency contraception drug levonorgestrel for rape victims, some continue to prohibit this practice as a matter of institutional conscience. While the standard approach to this issue has been to offer an argument that levonorgestrel either is or is not morally permissible, we have taken a different tack. We begin by briefly describing and acknowledging that reasonable disagreement exists on this question (part one), and then arguing that the reasonable disagreement itself can serve as a compelling basis for Catholic leadership at hospitals that prohibit emergency contraception for rape victims to accommodate physicians who wish to provide levonorgestrel as a matter of conscience (part two). We end by anticipating and responding to some objections.