nonstandard patients, nonstandard doctors, nonstandard procedures

This reflection from Leah Libresco about her unfortunate experience of ectopic pregnancy and her deviation from the standard procedure is worth reading. She describes being offered “the standard of reproductive care”, which is basically a medication abortion. While this course of treatment is not specifically forbidden by Catholic teaching, it is at the very least extremely controversial (see this brief introduction to the ethical principles here). Leah gave two reasons for refusing this course of care: “I am a Catholic and I am a statistician.” She points out that 50% of the time, ectopic pregnancy ends with a natural and safe miscarriage, and opted to wait for this rather than intervene with what she felt was an ethically dubious intervention.