Welcome Gretchen Borchelt JD Vice President for Reproductive Rights and Health National Womens Law Center Text to go here in this box Helen Ill help with formatting text when we get to this point ID: 928060
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Slide1
Slide2Putting Patients First
New Opinion Research and Messaging on When Religious Beliefs Override Patient Care
Slide3Welcome
Gretchen Borchelt, J.D.
Vice President for Reproductive Rights and Health
National Women’s Law Center
Slide4Text to go here in this box
Helen, I’ll help with formatting text
when we get to this point.
Slide5Religious Exemption Laws
First federal law passed shortly after
Roe v. Wade
Almost every state has one
Slide6Religious Exemption Laws
Allow health care providers, like hospitals, doctors, nurses, clinics, and health insurance companies, to refuse to treat a woman seeking an abortion, birth control, or medical care for a miscarriage.
Slide7Religious refusals to provide care have real consequences
Body text for
Faith Groesbeck
Patient Advocate
Community Organizer
Slide8Need for survey
The harm to women of religious exemptions laws was not breaking through
Status quo should not be acceptable
Slide9Survey Results
Anna Greenberg
Partner
Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research
Slide10Results Needed Now, More Than Ever
Congress and Administration
Targeting women’s health
Prioritizing “religious freedom” above all else
Continuing attacks at the state level
Slide11Must be Proactive
Brigitte Amiri
Senior Staff Attorney
ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project
Slide12National Women’s Law Center
National Survey of Voters
May, 2017
Slide13Methodology
13
GQRR conducted a survey of 1,650 registered voters across the nation, including oversamples of 200 registered voters each in Michigan, New Mexico and Virginia, 150 registered voters in Florida, 50 registered African American women, and 50 registered Hispanic women.
The survey was conducted March
21 - 26, 2017.
Forty-five percent of all interviews were completed via cell phone.
Margin of error for the entire sample is +/- 2.41 percentage points. Margin of error is higher among subgroups.
Slide1414
Voters believe insurers should cover health services for women, including abortion
Now, I am going to read you a statement about health insurance coverage for a range of women's health services. Please tell me whether you agree or disagree with that statement.
+31
Agree
All health insurance plans should cover all basic health services for women, including birth control, abortion, pre-natal care, childbirth, and post-partum care.
Disagree
Slide1515
A plurality opposes religious exemption laws that allow health care providers to refuse care to women
From what you know, do you favor or oppose these religious exemption laws?
+10
Favor
As you may know, laws currently allow certain health care providers, like hospitals, doctors, nurses, clinics, and health insurance companies, to refuse to treat a woman seeking an abortion, birth control, or medical care for a miscarriage because of religious or moral beliefs. These laws are sometimes called "religious exemption" laws but you might have also heard them referred to as "conscience clauses."
Oppose
Slide1616
Strong concerns that laws allow insurers, hospitals to refuse care, referrals, or even information
Now, I want to ask you about a few specific consequences that may occur as a result of religious exemption laws. After each, please tell me whether you favor or oppose laws that allow that specific consequence?
Insurance companies can refuse to cover a woman's abortion, birth control, or medical care for a miscarriage because of religious or moral beliefs.
Hospitals can refuse to provide a woman with information or referrals about abortion, birth control, or medical care for a miscarriage because of religious or moral beliefs.
Doctors or nurses can refuse to provide a woman with information or referrals about abortion, birth control, or medical care for a miscarriage because of religious or moral beliefs.
Hospitals can refuse to treat a woman seeking an abortion, birth control, or medical care for a miscarriage because of religious or moral beliefs.
Doctors or nurses can refuse to treat a woman seeking an abortion, birth control, or medical care for a miscarriage because of religious or moral beliefs.
Slide1717
A patient's health should always come first. Religious exemption laws allow hospitals, doctors, and nurses to determine a patient's care based on their religious beliefs, not based on what is best for the patient's health and circumstances; a provider's religious beliefs should never determine the care a patient receives.
Patient care comes first
Laws risk a woman’s life/health
No taxpayer-funded refusals
Best messaging against refusal laws focus on patient care and concerns about government interference
Religious exemption laws put women's lives and health in danger. Some hospitals have turned away women seeking abortion or information about abortion, even when the woman's life is in jeopardy… hospitals have refused to treat a woman whose miscarriage is threatening her life. These practices put religious beliefs over patients' needs and they can - and have - resulted in infertility, infection, and even death.
Religious exemption laws allow hospitals receiving government funding to deny medical care because of religious beliefs. Hospitals that take taxpayer dollars should not be allowed to use religious beliefs as a reason to refuse to treat or serve a patient, including a woman seeking abortion.
Slide1818
Opposition to religious exemption laws grows with information on both sides of the debate
From what you know, do you favor or oppose these religious exemption laws?
Favor
Oppose
+10
+27
Favor
Oppose
Initial
Final
As you may know, laws currently allow certain health care providers, like hospitals, doctors, nurses, clinics, and health insurance companies, to refuse to treat a woman seeking an abortion, birth control, or medical care for a miscarriage because of religious or moral beliefs. These laws are sometimes called "religious exemption" laws but you might have also heard them referred to as "conscience clauses."
Slide1919
Willingness to hold elected leaders accountable
Now thinking about everything you have heard about religious exemption laws, if your representative in the state legislature or Congress voted against a religious exemption law, would you be more likely to support him or her, less likely to support him or her, or would it not have much impact one way or the other?
+
6
Total
Democrats
Pro-choice
Liberals
+
3
5
+30
+51
More likely to support
Less likely to support
More likely to support
Less likely to support
More likely to support
Less likely to support
More likely to support
Less likely to support
Slide2020
Voters’ lack of awareness about problems with access to abortion presents a challenge
Do you think that it is currently too easy to get access to an abortion, too hard to get access to an abortion, or about right?
Total
Legal
Illegal
Slide2121
Information on restrictions moves voters, indicating that education is needed
After hearing more information, do you think that it is currently too easy to get access to an abortion, too hard to get access to an abortion, or about right?
In 1973, the Supreme Court gave all women the constitutional right to have an abortion. But since 2010, elected officials in states across the country have quietly passed more than 338 laws restricting abortion. These laws control when, where, and how women can have an abortion. For example, some of these laws mandate that women make multiple, unnecessary trips to a clinic and get a sonogram even if it's not medically necessary. Some mandate that doctors give women medically inaccurate information about abortion. Many prevent women from using their insurance coverage to pay for abortion. Some make abortion illegal at various stages in pregnancy - in one state as early as six weeks.
Post information
Slide2222
Support for proactive policies to ensure access to women’s health care services, including abortion
Make sure hospitals, doctors, and nurses provide patients with medical services including abortion when a patient's life or health is at risk.
Stop hospitals from firing, demoting, or otherwise retaliating against doctors or nurses because they treated a woman seeking an abortion or gave her information or referrals for abortion.
Make
sure all hospitals provide a patient with the right care for her situation, including abortion.
Stop hospitals from telling doctors or nurses that they cannot give a patient information or referrals for abortion.
I am going to read you a few proposals that make sure hospitals, doctors, and nurses will treat a woman seeking an abortion. After each one, please tell me whether you favor or oppose this proposal.
Make sure that a hospital that does not provide abortion still provides a woman with correct and complete information and referrals for abortion so that a patient is not left with nowhere to turn.
Slide2323
Voters strongly oppose religious exemption laws that allow providers to use religious beliefs to refuse to cover or provide treatment, information, or referrals to a patient.
The most compelling frame to counter religious exemption laws centers on making sure a woman gets the best patient care without interference, including access to abortion, birth control, and miscarriage treatment. The core elements include:
Ensuring care is based on what is best for the patient, not on a provider’s religious beliefs.
Making sure that patients have access to complete and accurate information and referrals for medical treatment.
Stopping hospitals and health care providers refusing treatment and putting a woman’s life or health at risk because of religious beliefs.
Preventing taxpayer-funded hospitals to inappropriately interfere in patient care and deny treatment to patients based on religious beliefs.
Voters are more likely to support an elected official who opposes religious exemption laws.
Final Considerations
Slide24Greenberg Quinlan Rosner
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Phone: +1 202 478 8300
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Toronto Board of Trade Tower
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Slide25The impact of religious restriction in healthcare on my community
Faith Groesbeck, Maternal & Child Health Advocate,
Certified Birth Doula (BAI) and Certified Cooperative Childbirth Educator
Birth Quest, LLC
faith@birthquestservices.com
www.birthquestservices.com
(231) 343-5009
Slide26Types of care known to be impacted by Catholic hospital mergers
Contraceptive coverage for employees
Emergency care for ectopic pregnancies
Abortions for fetuses with known lethal anomalies
Emergency contraception Contraception and sterilizations
Miscarriage management
Slide27Primary Prevention
Slide28Patient and Provider Stories
Slide29Tools in Our Toolbox
Litigation – state and federal court using state and federal laws
State and federal agency advocacy
Pro-active state bills – more than 40 state laws that blanket the country that provide religious exemptions to providing reproductive health care
Slide30Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act
Prior to Jan. 1, 2017, the law shielded refusing individuals and institutions from liability and discipline
Protocols; patients must receive information in accordance with standard of care; provider must refer, transfer or give information about other providers reasonably believe may offer service; must send medical records
Slide31Bills in NM, MI, and WA
Introduced and moved this past session
Ensure that health providers are not prohibited from providing the proper standard of care/information/referrals
Some of the bills also ensure that patients receive the proper care when their life/heath is at stake.
Slide32Chamarro v. Dignity Health
Rebecca Chamarro was denied a tubal ligation at the time she delivered her third baby at a hospital in Redding, California that is owned by Dignity Health.
Dignity Health is one of the largest Catholic health care systems
Physicians for Reproductive Health are also in the lawsuit.
Case is pending in California state court under state law.
Slide33Q&A
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