Seton Healthcare, a non-profit Catholic hospital network based in Austin, Texas, recently reversed policy and will now provide Plan B emergency contraceptives to sexual assault victims, according to a Spero News report.
Seton, which is also part of St. Louis-based Ascension Health, will provide Plan B, or levonorgestrel, to women claiming sexual assault who are not pregnant and within 72 hours of coming to a hospital.
While the definition of Plan B is murky — some consider it to be an abortifacient, a substance that induces abortion, while others say it is merely a contraceptive — Seton said it is still in compliance with Directive 36 of the Ethical and Religious Health Care Directives for Catholic Care Services, the report said. Directive 36 says women who are victims of rape may use methods to prevent the fertilization of an ovum.
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Seton, which is also part of St. Louis-based Ascension Health, will provide Plan B, or levonorgestrel, to women claiming sexual assault who are not pregnant and within 72 hours of coming to a hospital.
While the definition of Plan B is murky — some consider it to be an abortifacient, a substance that induces abortion, while others say it is merely a contraceptive — Seton said it is still in compliance with Directive 36 of the Ethical and Religious Health Care Directives for Catholic Care Services, the report said. Directive 36 says women who are victims of rape may use methods to prevent the fertilization of an ovum.
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