SEATTLE - A public hospital district being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington over concerns about abortion access says it follows state law.
Skagit Regional Health, which operates Skagit Valley Hospital, says it knows it is required to provide abortion services and it does so.
But hospital executives said in a conference call with reporters that they didn't know how many abortions had been provided there or when the last one was.
The ACLU sued the district Thursday, saying the hospital routinely refers patients offsite to private clinics rather than provide abortions itself as required by the law.
The plaintiff in the case is a 29-year-old nurse practitioner who worked at the hospital and said it was unwritten policy to refer patients to Planned Parenthood.
