New Queensland hospital faces pushback for not committing abortions

Queensland’s first major hospital in nearly a decade has opened, and it is receiving backlash for not committing assisted suicide or abortion.

Key Takeaways:

Mater Hospital Springfield is a Catholic public hospital in Queensland, Australia.
It is the first major hospital to open in the province in nearly a decade.
The hospital will not commit abortions or assisted suicide, nor will it dispense contraception.

The Details:

Mater Hospital Springfield has just opened outside of Brisbane, and it is already creating a stir. Mater operates 11 hospitals across Queensland and is a Catholic public hospital boasting cutting-edge care. But what you won’t find happening at Mater are life-ending services, such as assisted suicide and abortion, along with hormonal contraception. These services, although legal, go against the institution's Catholic religious beliefs.

Thumbnail for Queensland's Mater Health Service is under fire for its policy banning abortions | ABC News

Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the Liberal National Party (LNP) government committed $638 million in funding over four years to the hospital. "That is wonderful for the people of western Brisbane, for Ipswich, and for the greater Springfield area," Nicholls said, adding that the facility would offer "a full suite of services" to the community "closer to where they live." These services will include emergency care, maternity services, intensive care, surgery, paediatrics and specialist outpatient services. However, not everyone feels these life-saving services are enough.

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One Brisbane woman, named Elisa, expressed her concerns about the lack of abortion access and the impact she felt it had on her. Elisa was an outpatient at Mater Mothers Hospital under the care of a private obstetrician. She and her husband were informed at their 12-week ultrasound that their baby had a serious genetic abnormality. Elisa and her husband Brent say that their distress was compounded when they were told that Mater would not facilitate an abortion. In response to the interview, a spokesperson from Mater said:

Mater respects every woman’s right to follow her conscience in making medical decisions, including requests for elective termination. In these cases our health services will ensure patients can access other services to discuss treatment options. Like most public hospitals in Australia, Mater does not offer elective surgical terminations.

A doctor who works at a different hospital told ABC News Australia that Mater's decision not to commit abortions is a "long-standing disgrace."

Queensland decriminalized abortion in 2018. Induced abortion — the direct and intentional killing of preborn children — is not medically necessary. If a pregnancy must end, the baby can be delivered prematurely and provided with appropriate care. Aborting a baby due to a fetal diagnosis is discriminatory.

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The Bottom Line:

Abortion is something Catholic hospitals are staunchly against. All life holds value and dignity, and every person deserves the right to life, even if only to be loved and held for a short time.

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