In a growing number of communities around the country, patients and physicians have access to just one hospital. And in more and more places, that hospital is Catholic. 53eig.ht/2LFPAlH
Increasingly, where a patient lives can determine whether Catholic doctrine, and how the local bishop interprets that doctrine, will decide what kind of care she can get. 53eig.ht/2LFPAlH
In 2011, at least 29 communities only had a Catholic hospital to rely on for most of their care. By 2016, that number had grown to 45. 53eig.ht/2LFPAlH 
Abortion, birth control, vasectomies, tubal ligations, some types of end-of-life care, emergency contraception and procedures related to gender transition can all be off-limits if your local hospital happens to be Catholic. 53eig.ht/2LFPAlH
Several doctors who work or have worked at Catholic institutions told FiveThirtyEight stories about times that, due to their employers’ religious restrictions, they couldn’t provide patients with what they considered to be the best treatment available. 53eig.ht/2LFPAlH
“It was at best intrusive, and at worst life-threatening."
-Dr. Katherine Kaplan, an OB-GYN who retired from the Marshfield Clinic in northern Wisconsin
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-Dr. Katherine Kaplan, an OB-GYN who retired from the Marshfield Clinic in northern Wisconsin
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A woman who was miscarrying in Sierra Vista, Arizona, was sent 90 minutes away to Tucson when she sought an abortion to complete the miscarriage, even though her physician felt the travel put her at risk of infection and significant emotional distress. 53eig.ht/2LFPAlH
In Phoenix, a nun was excommunicated after allowing an abortion for a patient whose physicians said she had a “close to 100%” chance of dying. 53eig.ht/2LFPAlH
In some ways, geography is the most visible barrier. In the coming weeks, we'll be exploring other ways in which patients are funneled into Catholic health systems and what that means for people who need care that doesn’t conform to bishops’ guidelines. 53eig.ht/2LFPAlH
