A pregnant mom was 'writhing in pain,' but a Catholic hospital refused to intervene

Alison was three months pregnant and on a camping trip with her family in 2013 when she started bleeding. She rushed home to Bellingham, where the only hospital is Catholic-owned PeaceHealth.

“They did an ultrasound,” Alison said. KUOW is not using her last name to protect her private health information. “They said that the baby was fine and told me to come back if I started bleeding more.”

Alison had to go back again, and then again. Each time, the hospital staff gave her an ultrasound, told her the fetus still had a heartbeat, and sent her home.

At that time, about 40 percent of hospital beds in Washington state were owned by Catholic health-care systems. Since then, CHI Franciscan has merged with Virginia Mason, and now nearly half the hospital beds statewide are under Catholic ownership. Three cities — Bellingham, Centralia, and Walla Walla — have only a Catholic hospital.