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Bishops and Bodies
Reproductive Care in American Catholic Hospitals
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Lori Freedman
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Preface by:
Debra Stulberg
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2023
About this book
Winner of the 2024 Donald W. Light Award for Applied Medical Sociology, American Sociological Association's Section on Medical Sociology
One out of every six patients in the United States is treated in a Catholic hospital that follows the policies of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. These policies prohibit abortion, sterilization, contraception, some treatments for miscarriage and gender confirmation, and other reproductive care, undermining hard-won patients’ rights to bodily autonomy and informed decision-making. Drawing on rich interviews with patients and providers, this book reveals both how the bishops’ directives operate and how people inside Catholic hospitals navigate the resulting restrictions on medical practice. In doing so, Bishops and Bodies fleshes out a vivid picture of how The Church’s stance on sex, reproduction, and “life” itself manifests in institutions that affect us all.
One out of every six patients in the United States is treated in a Catholic hospital that follows the policies of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. These policies prohibit abortion, sterilization, contraception, some treatments for miscarriage and gender confirmation, and other reproductive care, undermining hard-won patients’ rights to bodily autonomy and informed decision-making. Drawing on rich interviews with patients and providers, this book reveals both how the bishops’ directives operate and how people inside Catholic hospitals navigate the resulting restrictions on medical practice. In doing so, Bishops and Bodies fleshes out a vivid picture of how The Church’s stance on sex, reproduction, and “life” itself manifests in institutions that affect us all.
Author / Editor information
LORI FREEDMAN is a sociologist, bioethicist, and professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences with the Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) program of the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health at the University of California, San Francisco. She is the author of Willing and Unable: Doctors’ Constraints in Abortion Care.
DEBRA STULBERG is a professor and department chair of family medicine at the University of Chicago.
Reviews
"Bishops and Bodies is poised to make a significant impact not just in social science and medical humanities circles, but in broader public conversations about health care, reproductive rights, and the place of religion in society."
— Jessica Martucci, author of Back to the Breast: Natural Motherhood and Breastfeeding in America“It’s a recipe for disaster—the Catholic Church wants the most births possible, and most American women want to limit their childbearing and protect their health with modern advances in contraception and abortion. Yet in the name of corporate conscience, our anachronistic laws allow Catholic healthcare to require physicians of all faiths to do things that violate medical ethics and often constitute malpractice. Freedman’s compelling research, rich storytelling, and incisive analysis reveal how outrageous Bishop-knows-best medicine really is.”— Katie Watson, author of Scarlet A: The Ethics, Law and Politics of Ordinary Abortion
Topics
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Frontmatter
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Contents
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Foreword
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Prologue
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Introduction: Doctrinal Iatrogenesis
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1. Growth: How Catholic Health Care Expanded
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2. Inferior: How Catholic Directives Contradict Medical Standards
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3. Consumer Medicine?: Patients and the Illusion of Choice
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4. Emergencies: Patient Loss and Suffering
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5. Mostly Above-Board Workarounds
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6. Under-the-Radar Workarounds
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7. Separation of Church and Hospital
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Conclusion
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Appendix: Positionality, Methods, and Scholarly Journey
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Acknowledgments
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Notes
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Index
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About the Author
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Available titles in the Critical Issues in Health and Medicine series
208
Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
September 6, 2023
eBook ISBN:
9781978828896
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook ISBN:
9781978828896
Keywords for this book
hospital; health; health care; womens studies; women's health; sterilization; abortion; contraceptives; trans; transgender; gender reassignment; reproductive health; catholic; catholic hospital; religion; belief; gynecology; U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; miscarriage; sex education; patients’ rights to bodily autonomy; Roe v. Wade; informed decision-making; Planned Parenthood; Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization
Audience(s) for this book
For universities and colleges of further and higher education
