Posted on 02/02/2009 5:47:15 AM PST by markomalley
Abortion legislation is stirring concern about the fate of Catholic hospitals, as pro-choice President Barack Obama starts his third week in office.
At issue, is whether the Freedom of Choice Act — which would prohibit government interference with a woman's right to have an abortion — would mandate that Catholic hospitals perform abortions. RELATED STORIES • Online: Read the Catholic Health Association's comment on the FOCA
"We're not going to know what it's specifically going to do until the time it's passed," said Patricia Pitkus Bainbridge, director of the Rockford Diocese's Respect Life Office.
"But there's not doubt," she said, "if FOCA passes, the impact's going to be felt by Catholic hospitals."
"The question," she said, "is when is it going to pass."
Staff of the bill's original sponsor, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, did not return calls about how Catholic hospitals would be affected should the bill be approved.
Boxer originally sponsored the bill in 2004, calling it new federal legislation that will protect a woman's right to choose.
The act states that every woman has the "fundamental right" to choose to bear a child; terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability; or terminate it after fetal viability when necessary to protect her life or her health.
The legislation also would prohibit governmental entities from "discriminating" against these rights.
Opponents point to this as proof that Catholic hospitals will be legally obliged to perform abortions.
And that, Pitkus Bainbridge said, would never happen.
The hospitals would close first.
No compromise
Provena Mercy Medical Center in Aurora — the area's only Catholic hospital — would not comment on the issue.
Rather, a hospital official pointed to a November statement made by the Catholic Health Association and said Provena Mercy shares the same position.
"We have many examples in this country of how to respond to unjust laws, and we have learned from them," stated Sister Carol Keehan, the Catholic Health Association's president and chief executive officer.
"We will protect Catholic health care in this country," she said, "without compromising our position on abortion."
Still, fears of Catholic hospitals shutting their doors and doctors searching for jobs, among other concerns, have swept through Catholic churches in the Fox Valley and across the country.
More than 250 groups dedicated to this topic have sprung up on the social networking Web site Facebook, featuring names like "9 Days of Prayer to Stop FOCA" and "People who are pro Freedom of Choice Act."
Catholics are gathering signatures for petitions against the bill and they have filled out pre-printed post cards, which were then mailed to their congressmen in Washington, D.C.
The latter was part of a campaign coordinated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to make legislators aware of the opposition.
Parishioners at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Aurora turned in nearly 1,000 post cards, said Emily McElroy Holmstrom, the church's pro-life coordinator.
Obama in favor
There is speculation over whether the bill will ever actually make it to Obama's desk.
But if it does, FOCA opponents note that Obama has publicly announced his support for the act.
In response to an audience question about how he would ensure access to abortion during a 2007 Planned Parenthood event, Obama said to applause, "The first thing I would do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act."
This is all the more reason, opponents say, to bolster campaigns raising awareness about the bill and lobbying against it.
"This is one of the things he (Obama) wants to get passed right away," said McElroy Holmstrom.
"I think if it gets to him," she said, "we're in trouble."
Until then, Catholic leaders are monitoring the legislation and remaining vigilant about raising awareness of the bill.
And if it turns out that the legislation will force the hospitals to perform abortions, "they're not going to do it," Pitkus Bainbridge said.
The Catholics should have spent a bigger effort trying to stop their flock from voting for dems. This is just a logical outcome.
http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=9996
And if the Catholic hospitals threaten to close, I can see Obama either not caring or, in the brave new Obama world, nationalizing the hospitals for the “common good.”
The purpose of this crap is to force Catholic hospitals to perform abortions or go out of business. Either one is OK with liberals.
Liberalism is an incurable disorder of the thought process.
Wasn’t it the case that they implied that Catholics could overlook his abortion stance
because his positions on “social justice” outweighed his abortion positions?
Stay open.
Defy the law.
Make the feds enforce it.
I wish I had confidence in the American Catholic Church that these hospitals would close but I’m sure that the lawyers will find a way to transfer ownership and/or the Church will rationalize the practice.
Well, the government of the Untied States is about to repeal the 1st amendment. The issue of abortion is part of the very foundation of Catholic belief, no matter that some Catholics ignore this fact. To REQUIRE, by law, that Catholic Hospitals perform an “medical procedure” that violates one of their basic tenets, is to say, “Freedom of Religion” is what the government says it is, today only. See us next week. Every tiny, obscure belief of the “religion” of terrorists, is and MUST be respected, and their religious freedom untrammelled up to and beyond the point where Americans die. Yet, a foundation of the Church is to be ignored, assaulted, and made a crime.
I am Jewish, and understand the desperate need of a woman to have an abortion. I also know that if she drives three more blocks down the street, there are people eagerly making their living providing this “service”. Then I wonder what basics of MY religion could be found to violate one ‘brainstorm’ or other of the busy-bodies in government.
That scares me.
To use the force of LAW, to make Catholic doctors and nurses and other hospital personnell to commit an act that violates their very basic beliefs is an evil that in truth should be recognized for what it really is...an opening wedge in the ACTUAL ignoring and repealing of the First Amendment. The expression UNTIED States was NOT a typo.
As somebody who sat in the pews this past election cycle, I have got to say that I have never seen such an effort against a candidate (Øbama, that is), to the credit of the bishops. FReeper Salvation has a pretty comprehensive list that she could provide.
But for some reason, the people went against the bishops on this one. I think confusing the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church with socialism (the two are NOT the same) for years has had its impact.
A question though, what if the hospital doesn’t have doctors trained to do abortions? Liberal friends of mine have always argued that if a doctor knows how to do an abortion it means that they sought out to learn how to learn to do one. Therefore they don’t understand why a doctor who knows how to perform abortions would morally object to performing one (I’ll admit that I have a hard time answering that).
All they have to do is close their OB/GYN floors. No obstetrics and no gynecology.
That has been correct, in the past. Part of Hillary Care in 1993 included a provision forcing medical schools to teach how to perform abortions for all medical students.
While that caused an uproar then, you can bet it will be back again in Ocare, buried in the tens of thousands of regulations.
Yes, nationalizing the hospital would fit right in with the Democrat plans.
Nationalizing the hospitals would fill the bill for the Dems who are waiting in the wings to nationalize all healthcare.
Does anyone know the percentage of American hospitals run as Catholic?
Wait til they ration healthcare for the selfish boomer generation who are now being propagandized to have A Choice in Dying.
It’s the selfish people OF the boomer generation that put these folks in power, on the promise that their lack of planning for their old age will be covered by the government.
And they’ll be the ones “rationed out” as being not worth the money required to keep them alive.
Meanwhile, someone who is confused about where to dip his stick, and subsequently is causing the system even more money to keep him alive and dippin’ will NOT be rationed out.
There are about 575 Catholic hospitals out of about 5,760 total. They're relatively large though, treating almost 85 million people a year.
Unfortunately, the bishops will cave on this before Obama will.
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