“A direct abortion is one that intends to end the life of the unborn baby and is not medically necessary as defined by [the directives]. We do not and will not perform direct or elective abortions at Bon Secours Mercy Health. We will always work to save as many lives as we can,” Richmond told CNA in an email.
However, section 47 of the directives allow for a pregnant woman to undergo lifesaving treatment, even if it means that her unborn baby will die indirectly as a result of that treatment.
“Operations, treatments, and medications that have as their direct purpose the cure of a proportionately serious pathological condition of a pregnant woman are permitted when they cannot be safely postponed until the unborn child is viable, even if they will result in the death of the unborn child,” the directive reads.
Examples of such treatment, doctors have previously told CNA, include the removal of a woman’s fallopian tube in the case of an ectopic pregnancy. Although such a procedure may indirectly cause the death of the unborn baby, it is not considered an abortion because the intent is to save the mother’s life from a serious medical emergency and the death of the child is a foreseen but unavoidable consequence.
Similarly, treatment to assist a woman after suffering a miscarriage also does not constitute an abortion, because her unborn child is already deceased.
Richmond said in emergency situations, Bon Secours Mercy Health providers are expected to follow the directives as well as “medical standards of care in good faith.”
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