A sexual assault victim accused an emergency room doctor at Legacy Meridian Park Hospital in Oregon of refusing to provide her with Plan B, alleging that he said doing so was against his religious beliefs.
The woman shared a video saying she was in the ER after being sexually assaulted. She then alleged that the ER doctor on duty refused to provide her with Plan B because “it goes against his religious beliefs.” According to the woman, the refusal prompted people at the hospital to ask whether someone could go to a nearby store to purchase Plan B for her instead.
“He refuses to give me a prescription for Plan B,” the woman said emotionally, explaining that she had gone to the ER specifically to receive the medication. She added that she was left waiting while requesting that the hospital provide another doctor who would be willing to prescribe it.
The woman said she had looked into the issue and believed doctors should not be able to refuse emergency contraception on religious grounds. She further claimed that Oregon law requires hospitals to provide emergency contraception to sexual assault patients. According to the woman, however, hospital staff told her that the doctor was not required to prescribe it.
In the caption, the woman cited the applicable Oregon law supporting her claim that she should have received Plan B. She wrote, “Oregon Law 435.254 Hospital duty to provide information about emergency contraception and to make emergency contraception available to victim of sexual assault… (1) A hospital providing care to a female victim of sexual assault shall: (c) If requested by the victim and if not medically contraindicated, provide the victim with emergency contraception immediately at the hospital.”
Some people questioned the woman’s account. This made her share a screenshot of what she said was a note written by the ER doctor. The note stated, “I explained to her that I would not prescribe Plan B b/c of religious convictions, but that she could obtain it OTC at any pharmacy w/o a Rx. She expressed frustration about this to the RN, and I was told she did not want to see me any more. Ultimately, our CMO, Dr. Klug, provided a verbal order to our charge RN, Denise, to provide her Plan B here. Her other prescriptions were sent to preferred pharmacy. Seth Mercer, MD.” In a separate comment, the woman added that she planned to report the doctor to the Board of Medicine.
Viewers Attack Oregon ER Doctor Over Refusal to Help Sexual Assault Victim
The video sparked reactions online. Many viewers criticized the Oregon ER doctor over the woman’s allegation that he refused to prescribe Plan B. Some argued that a doctor who declines to provide care should not be practicing in an emergency room. “He should not be working in the hospital,” one person wrote. Another commenter asked, “Does SA go against his religious beliefs?.” Someone else added, “So after being assaulted, you are now having to fight to be taken care of?? Insanity. You deserve better. You deserve actual health care.”
Others came forward with their own allegations about the doctor’s past treatment of patients. “Dr. Seth Mercer is awful. He treated me terribly. He said it was anxiety; it was anaphylaxis,” one person wrote. Another commenter said, “He told me my appendicitis was gas pain and refused to do imaging. Went to another hospital and they suspected it had been ruptured for 5 days. Filed a complaint and it went nowhere. This was in 2017…” These claims have not been independently verified and reflect the allegations of individual social media users.
The video sparked a conversation about the role personal religious beliefs should play in medical care. This is particularly when patients seek time-sensitive treatment. It also led to broader discussion about how complaints against healthcare providers should be handled. This could be through hospitals, medical licensing boards, and other appropriate oversight processes. This usually happens when patients believe they were denied necessary care.
