About

What is Guaranteed Comprehensive Health Care in Washington State?

Washington is one of the most progressive states for patient’s rights and the scope of health care options. Patients receiving care expect treatment to be based on sound medical counsel, informed consent, a trusting patient-provider relationship, and the right to patient autonomy.

DOES WASHINGTON STATE REALLY HAVE GUARANTEED COMPREHENSIVE CARE?

GCCWA Says No. 50% of all healthcare delivered in Washington State is provided by Catholic-owned healthcare delivery systems. Their polices, Ethical and Religious Directives (ERD’s) severely restrict patient access to MANY forms of healthcare based on THEIR religious doctrines. Join us in our fight to ensure comprehensive and guaranteed access to medical care for ALL Washington residents regardless of religious beliefs.

Learn More

I already had six kids. I wanted a vasectomy. We had a Catholic hospital in Colville so I had to go to Spokane to get one. Restricted by directives.

I was pregnant with twins and a blended family of four. C-section planned with a tubal. I had to make a last minute change of birth plan to a secular hospital and change my doctor to get this done.

Suffering from end stage throat cancer, a man goes out to the backyard and puts a bullet in his head. He was denied Death with Dignity due to getting care from a Catholic hospice.

34 Years ago I got a vasectomy at Virginia Mason. I wouldn’t be able to get one today there. Virginia Mason is an affiliated Catholic health care system under religious directives.

Patient Care

The Following Restrictions Effect All Patient Care Directly

What are the Ethical and Religious Directives (ERDs)?

The US Conference Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has mandated that these directives be followed by all Catholic facilities since the 1940’s. The newest update to these directives was in 2018 and is the 6th Edition. The document now consists of 77 directives. These apply universally to Catholic and Catholic affiliated health care delivery systems.

The impact of these directives cannot be underestimated.

Read the full document here

#70 Abortion is forbidden
#36 No exceptions, rape, incest or age.
#50 No intervention allowed for serious fetal defects
#45 Miscarriage care: Denies termination if there is a fetal heartbeat
#48 Ectopic pregnancy: no intervention
#61 End of life: Considered “redemptive suffering”
#5 No contraception,
#42 No surrogacy
#53 and #70 No tubal ligations or vasectomies
#38/39/41 No infertility treatments

Gender affirming care: Gender is assigned at birth by God. Guidance in “Respecting the Fundamental Order of the Human Body” was released in March 2023 which further outlines the Church’s stance on this subject. Surgical intervention is characterized as “body mutilation”.

Institutional Restrictions following restrictions apply to all Catholic hospitals and Catholic affiliated facilities

#70 Catholic organizations cannot engage…in actions that are intrinsically immoral: abortion, assisted suicide, and direct sterilization
#77 If institutions that are wrongly cooperating with “immoral” procedures the local bishop should be immediately notified
#70/73/74 No collaboration with other health care providers that compromises Catholic social and moral teaching
#6 ERDs apply to all health care given in Catholic or affiliated facilities including mergers
#28 Informed consent only in accordance with Catholic principles
#8/9 Holds accountable all employees to ERDs