US Catholic doctor does about face on contraception

Friday, November 13th, 2015

A US woman has reacted with hurt and shock after her Catholic physician abruptly stopped prescribing contraception for her, citing religion.

Leslie Gauthier posted the letter she received from her “ob-gyn” from Jackson, Mississippi, on Facebook.

The Catholic doctor stated:” I am sending you this letter to notify you that as a Catholic physician, I can no longer prescribe any form of contraception (birth control) since continuing to do so puts me in a position of co-operating and promoting.”

The doctor also stated she would “work to use alternative medications” rather than prescribing birth control pills to treat conditions like acne and period pain.

The letter stated the Catholic doctor would be happy to help Ms Gauthier learn to use “natural family planning” as opposed to “artificial birth control”.

However, if Ms Gauthier wants any form of contraception, she’ll have to see a different provider.

“I’ve seen [this doctor] on and off for at least five years and this has never been a problem,” Ms Gauthier told Cosmopolitan.com.

“I’ve been taking birth control for non-contraceptive reasons in some form or another since I was 13 years old. So [the doctor] knows it’s not fully for contraceptive reasons.”

She says that even her mother, who is a “devout Catholic”, considers the new policy to be “ridiculous”.

Ms Gauthier was able to reschedule her appointment with a nurse practitioner at the same facility.

But she said she still feels judged and betrayed by a professional whom she had come to trust with her medical care.

The Jackson, Mississippi-based clinic is not affiliated with a Catholic institution.

It is legal in the United States for doctors to refuse to perform any service if they feel it conflicts with their moral beliefs.

Sources