ACLU Cites Concerns Over Catholic Proposal for Hospital
Raising concerns about a loss of “constitutionally protected” reproductive health services, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California on Friday joined the debate over the fate of the taxpayer-built South Bay Medical Center in Redondo Beach.
The publicly elected board of the Beach Cities Health District, which owns the hospital, is weighing four options for its future after the private operator, Tenet Healthcare Corp., leaves May 31.
One option is a proposal by the Catholic-run parent corporation of rival Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance. Several health services advocate groups, including the California Women’s Law Center, have expressed concerns that Catholic religious directives would mean an end to a range of services if the Little Company of Mary proposal prevails.
The ACLU and others cited in vitro fertilization, prenatal testing, comprehensive HIV prevention, voluntary sterilization and the use of the “morning after” pill for rape victims as examples of services that could be eliminated or curtailed.
“We urge the board to consider the needs of the entire community in reaching its decision,” said Catherine Weiss, director of the national ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project.
The health district board is scheduled to make a decision at a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. on March 30 at the Redondo Beach Public Library at 303 N. Pacific Coast Highway.
Other bids include one by a coalition of physicians and other health care providers to keep the 203-bed hospital open, and two others that call for tearing it down and building facilities for senior citizens.
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