When: 
Tuesday, April 17, 2018 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Where: 
Newark

The Rutgers Center for Gender, Sexuality, Law and Policy is hosting a panel discussion on Tuesday, April 17, at 12:15 p.m. on Bearing Faith: The Limits of Catholic Health Care for Women of Color. The talk will address the findings of a new report released in January by the Public Rights/Private Conscience Project at Columbia Law School and Public Health Solutions.

The talk will take place in Room 20 at the Center for Law and Justice at 123 Washington St. in Newark.

The report presents new research finding that women of color in many states disproportionately give birth at hospitals that place religious ideology above best medical practice. Across the country, Catholic hospitals are governed by strict guidelines that prohibit doctors from providing contraceptives, sterilization, some treatments for ectopic pregnancy, abortion, and fertility services regardless of their patients’ wishes, the urgency of a patient’s medical condition, the doctor's own medical judgment, or the standard of care in the medical profession. In many states, women of color are far more likely than white women to give birth at Catholic hospitals, putting them at greater risk of having their health needs subordinated to religious tenets. This finding is especially troubling given that women of color already face a range of health disparities, which increase their need for comprehensive reproductive health care.

Kira Shepherd, the Director of PRPCP's Racial Justice Project, will speak on the implications of the report with Dr. Ashley Grosso, a Research Scientist with Public Health Solutions, and Elizabeth Reiner Platt, Director of the Public Rights/Private Conscience Project.

This event is free and open to the public but registration is required. Lunch will be provided.