Abortion

Health Insurer Kaiser Distances Itself From Employees’ Anti-Choice Activities

Active since 2014, if not earlier, Kaiser for Life appears to oppose what it describes as "late-term" abortions performed at Kaiser Permanente facilities in California.

The group Kaiser for Life is taking part in the July 23 summit for Californians for Life, which opposes abortion rights. Appearing on a list of "Pro-Life Doctors, Nurses, and Medical Clinics," Kaiser for Life is described as being made up of "doctors, nurses, patients, staff, and administrators who want to end abortion, helping both women and babies THRIVE." Shutterstock

Kaiser Permanente is disavowing an anti-choice group called Kaiser for Life, telling Rewire that the $60-billion company wasn’t aware of the group, apparently comprised of Kaiser Permanente doctors and patients, and that the company is “not lending our name to it.”

The group Kaiser for Life is taking part in the July 23 summit for Californians for Life, which opposes abortion rights. Appearing on a list of “Pro-Life Doctors, Nurses, and Medical Clinics,” Kaiser for Life is described as being made up of “doctors, nurses, patients, staff, and administrators who want to end abortion, helping both women and babies THRIVE.”

Kaiser Permanente has used the word “thrive” to market itself for more than a decade.

Active since 2014, if not earlier, Kaiser for Life appears to oppose what it describes as “late-term” abortions performed at Kaiser Permanente facilities in Sacramento and elsewhere, according to Sacramento Pro-Life News.

A representative from Kaiser for Life didn’t respond to an inquiry about the group by press time.

A Kaiser Permanente spokesperson told Rewire that the Oakland-based health-care provider’s policies permit employees to take part in political activities, as long as workers are off the clock, off premises, and avoid the appearance of representing their employer.

Asked whether participating in Kaiser for Life might violate company policy, the spokesperson would only say that the nonprofit has no immediate knowledge of the organization or contact with it.

A Kaiser Permanente logo can be seen accompanying a brief 2014 story about Kaiser for Life by Sacramento Pro-Life News.

“Kaiser Permanente is committed to providing the full range of comprehensive, integrated women’s health services for our members,” the spokesperson noted in an email.

The spokesperson said “elective” pregnancy terminations are performed at some Kaiser Permanente facilities, “usually as a result of complications or multiple fetal anomalies,” while other abortion services are provided through Planned Parenthood and Family Planning Associates.

Anti-choice advocacy by doctors and nurses isn’t unheard of, and the Californians for Life website lists participating groups like the Association of Pro-Life Physicians and California Nurses for Ethical Standards, which “promotes respect” for the “preborn.”

Conversely, anti-choice groups routinely target companies that, among other things, allow voluntary employee-donation programs to Planned Parenthood. Bank of America, as Rewire reported, was subject to an anti-choice boycott late last year.