Reproductive Health Policy
PolicyStat ID 12001648; Effective 7/2014; Last Revised 8/2019
The sovereign people hereby declare that every individual possesses a fundamental right of privacy with respect to personal reproductive decisions.
Accordingly, it is the public policy of the state of Washington and North Valley Hospital that:
(1) Every individual has the fundamental right to choose or refuse birth control;
(2) Every woman has the fundamental right to choose or refuse to have an abortion, except as specifically limited by RCW 9.02.100 through 9.02.170 and 9.02.900 through 9.02.902;
(3) Except as specifically permitted by RCW 9.02.100 through 9.02.170 and 9.02.900 through 9.02.902 , the state shall not deny or interfere with a woman's fundamental right to choose or refuse to have an abortion; and
(4) The state shall not discriminate against the exercise of these rights in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information.
Consistent with the previously-noted provisions of Washington law, NVH permits its healthcare providers to opt out of participating in a termination if they object to participating for reason of conscience or religion.
NVH facilities are available to its healthcare providers to perform surgical terminations, including dilation and curettage procedures, dilation and evacuation procedures, and inductions. NVH provides surgical termination services directly to patients requesting those services when physicians and support staff agree to participate in that termination. To not provide those termination services at NVH in the event that NVH providers and/or staff exercise their legal right to opt out of participating in a termination, NVH will provide information to assist in the referral of patients to qualified providers in our region whose employees do not exercise their legal right to opt out of participating in such terminations.
NVH facilities are available to its healthcare providers to provide medication terminations. NVH provides medication termination services directly to patients requesting those services when physicians and support staff agree to participate in that termination. To not provide medication termination services at NVH facilities in the event that NVH providers and/or staff exercise their legal right to opt out of participating in that termination, NVH will provide information to assist in the referral of patients to qualified providers in our region whose employees do not exercise their legal right to opt out of participating in such terminations.
NVH provides the above women’s and family health planning services’ as part of the patient-provider relationship established through NVH’s community wellness services. By integrating women and family health planning services across all of its services lines NVH helps protect the identity of its patients seeking termination services by not holding them separate and distinct from other patient populations. NVH strives to treat all patients with equality and in a welcoming manner that is free from discrimination based on a patient’s expressed preferences related to women’s and reproductive healthcare services.
Resources
Washington State DOH RCW's stated above. This Policy is a DOH Policy Requirement*
Washington’s Reproductive Privacy Act Chapter 9.02 RCW , Subsection .160 , Subsection .170(b) and Subsection .150(1), Washington’s Health Care Access Act,Chapter 70.47 RCW , Subsection . 160(1) and Subsection . 160(2)
Information available at https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-greater-washington-north-idaho .