"Upon information and belief, these complaints describe serious harm — including major blood loss and life-threatening infection — that women experienced after being denied appropriate care by Catholic hospitals," the lawsuit against the US Department of Health and Human Services and affiliated agencies says.
The lawsuit and an accompanying ACLU article describes a situation in which a pregnant woman with an elevated heart rate rushes to a Catholic hospital where she bleeds for six hours without appropriate care, because the hospital is not allowed to perform abortions.
"Her story is one of several complaints against Catholic hospitals — which take billions of taxpayer dollars to serve the public — that have been lodged with the federal agency that oversees hospitals," the article said.
The ACLU said it filed the lawsuit seeking records that have been withheld, despite previous requests that were made by the group under the US Freedom of Information Act.