Wednesday, February 22, 2006

not everyone who practices medicine in a catholic hospital IS catholic

not everyone who is a patient in a catholic hospital IS catholic. let's leave religion OUT of MEDICINE. no one is forcing anyone to TAKE 'the morning after' pill. WE just want it AVAILABLE should WE decide WE want to take it. ever notice how laws passed by men very often effect a WOMAN'S BODY?

Contraception bill draws opposition from church

February 21, 2006, 6:48 PM ESTHARTFORD, Conn. -- Some state lawmakers are on a collision course with Connecticut Roman Catholics over the so-called "morning after pill." The legislature's Public Health Committee is drafting a bill that would require all Connecticut hospitals, including the four Roman Catholic hospitals in the state, to provide emergency contraception to rape victims. In response to the proposal, the Connecticut Catholic Conference sent out an "action alert" on the Web recently, saying the proposed legislation threatens the religious freedom of Catholic hospitals in Connecticut. Connecticut's Catholic hospitals have "provided the citizens of Connecticut with a high standard of care for decades," the alert reads. "These institutions should not be forced to violate their religious beliefs, especially those concerning the human dignity of every person, no matter at what stage of life." The state's four Catholic hospitals are the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven, St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford and St. Mary's in Waterbury. State Rep. Deborah Heinrich, D-Madison, a member of the Public Health Committee, said she understands the church's concern about the bill. But Heinrich said she ultimately supports a rape victim's right to have an abortion. .............

9 comments:

Joel said...

But if the hospital administrators are Catholic, dispensing abortifacients even through subordinates automatically excommunicates them. Same with any other hospital worker. Excommunication is automatic for any Catholic who helps to procure or perform an abortion, and the Church includes the morning-after pill in that.

Unknown said...

joel, how many YOUNGER catholics (child bearing age) do you know that do NOT practice birth control? i know birth control is NOT this issue, but i'm making a point

Joel said...

Me and my wife, for an example. While it's true that contraception is common among Catholics, it's still a violation of Church law, and there are a significant number of younger Catholics who take the Church's teaching on the subject seriously enough to refrain.

But as you say, the issue (pardon the pun) isn't contraception but abortion. The Church treats the two separately. The latter category includes any procedure that causes the death of an already conceived embryo. While contraception is considered a sin, it doesn't carry the automatic excommunication that abortion (or complicity in abortion) does.

Joel said...

I suppose the point I should make in response to yours is that the fact that a large number of Catholics (and most non-Catholics, for that matter) privately disregard Church teaching doesn't invalidate that teaching as the root of the Catholic's conscience. There may be individual employees who will dispense abortifacients at Catholic hospitals, but they do so in direct violation of the hospitals' policy, which is set by the Church. The Connecticut law would require hospitals to make an official practice of something that is currently only done by disobedient employees.

I'm not sure I worded that very well. Does it make sense? :)

Unknown said...

i respect YOUR beliefs joel and would never try to sway you from them. i am of a different set of beliefs (yet was raised catholic. of course i no longer am). most every catholic couple of child bearing age i know DOES indeed practice birth control. that is up to them. in article vi of the cathecism it DISTINCTLY AND SPECIFICALLY says, WE (the singular person) has a moral conscience and WE know right from wrong. WE may make our OWN minds up EVEN IF IT GOES AGAINST CHUCH TEACHINGS.
"1782 Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. "He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters."[53]"

i do NOT think abortion should be used as a birth control method nor do i think it should be taken matter of factly. i DO think it is a decision that should ultimately be made by the woman.

the morning after pill is NOT for abortions by the way - it is to PREVENT conception

Joel said...

Rose, I appreciate your respect for others' beliefs; it's not as common these days as it ought to be. I don't mean any disrespect for yours, either. I could dispute your interpretation of that section of the catechism, but I think it would be beside the point. :) Either way, the stricture applies against allowing another to force your conscience.

The trouble is that the local bishop is responsible to the Church for everything that happens in Catholic institutions in his diocese. It's the same as a householder being responsible for what happens in his own home. (It's also why the bishop is the one sued for priestly molestations that he didn't commit himself.) For the state to pass a law prohibiting the bishop from exercising his conscience in this matter is an unacceptable interference with religious practice.

To be honest, if this law passes, I think the bishops will have no choice but to close the hospitals, or at least any portion of them that could be coerced into practicing abortion. (And as I understand it, the morning-after pill has been determined by the Church to be equivalent to abortion. It's a technicality I'm not really qualified to pass judgment on myself.) If they're not permitted by the state to function without the pill, and not permitted by the Church to dispense it, then all they can do is fold the tent.

Unknown said...

does the catholic church really RUN catholic hospitals? i'm not being a wise-acre by the way, i genuinely don't know. with a few exceptions i DO try to honor others beliefs. i ABSOLUTELY understand YOUR (and your wife's) feelings on abortion by the way. they may not differ from MY OWN PERSONAL beliefs (i mean about MY choice for ME)surprisingly enough

Joel said...

As far as I know, the Church still does run hospitals affiliated with it. However, I put the question up on my own blog in hopes that someone who knows more will set the record straight.


At the least, any financial or personnel support that the Church gives those hospitals will probably have to be curtailed if the law goes through, as continuing it would consititute at least material cooperation, which is permitted only in very specialized circumstances.

Unknown said...

thanks joel!