Buried.News

A Tennessee woman told WSMV that Ascension St. Thomas Midtown in Nashville canceled her scheduled sterilization surgery on Friday morning after she had been admitted, met with the surgical team, and had an IV placed. She said she then waited about three hours without an update before a group of nurses informed her the procedure would not proceed.

She said staff attributed the decision to the hospital’s Catholic Ethics Oversight Committee, citing concerns about sterilizing “a woman so young” and a stated “duty to protect her sacred fertility.” She said she pursued a salpingectomy after years of unsuccessful birth control attempts, and cited a history of assault and concern about living in a state without abortion access.

She said she had pre-paid for the surgery and is awaiting a refund. The cancellation occurred after House Bill 1044, the Medical Ethics Defense Act, took effect at the end of April last year, protecting doctors from liability when they decline procedures that conflict with religious or moral beliefs. The hospital said it is working on a response to questions about the committee and decision-making process.