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Our Stories

We believe everyone should get the health care they need. But in California, more than one in six hospital beds is in a Catholic facility with religiously restrictive policies. This results in many of us being denied basic and necessary care. We are not alone, nor are we silent. Read our stories and share your own.

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Hannah

Hannah is a UCLA undergraduate who has a hormonal disorder that impacts the ovaries. In 2018, she was taken to the closest emergency room in severe pain. The Catholic hospital ignored her symptoms and refused to treat her, putting her at risk for further medical issues and prolonging her pain.
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Tyler

I gave the people at the front desk my name, and right away it seemed like they already knew who I was and I why I was there. I noticed people looking and me and whispering. It felt like people at the hospital had discussed my case and knew my very personal medical information. It was deeply embarrassing. Calling me “he” and referring to me as a “male,” the surgery coordinator told me that St. Joseph’s would not do the procedure because of their religious views.
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Roy

Roy is a transgender man living in Westminster, California, who has suffered from debilitating pain in his uterus for almost a year. Doctors constantly misdiagnosed his pain, and when he sought a hysterectomy from St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California, he was denied six times.
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Jacob and Ada

Jacob was living in Arcata in 2018 when he had complications while recovering from gender-affirming surgery. He initially sought care at the only hospital in the region, St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka. But St. Joseph Hospital is Catholic, and Jacob is trans.
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Tamesha Means

Read the story of Tamesha Means, whose life was threatened after a Catholic hospital repeatedly sent her home in the midst of a painful miscarriage.
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Your Story Could Make the Difference

We are gathering stories from people who have been denied care because of religious rules. If you or someone you know has been denied care at a Catholic hospital, please share your story with us.

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