You beat me to it. Since Catholic hospital operators, "ethicists," and "theologians" are "stunned," what should we conclude?
The day is coming when the dying are going to beg for treatment in Catholic hospitals (if they're not outlawed in the meantime).
Exactly right. But there are plenty of them around. Even our very conservative Atlanta Catholic paper printed an article criticizing the pro-lifers who have been trying so hard to protect Terri Shiavo, and I had to explain to our pastor why it is our responsibility as Catholics to protect her life.