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Abortion and Euthanasia Bringing about the Demise of Catholic Health Care: Catholic Obstetrician
LifeSiteNews ^ | 11/12/08 | Hilary White

Posted on 11/12/2008 3:45:40 PM PST by wagglebee

ROME, November 12, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Believing Catholics are being pushed out of the medical professions, especially in areas like obstetrics, by the insistence of secularised medical services on “abortion rights,” contraception and, now, increasingly physician-assisted euthanasia, claims a prominent Catholic obstetrician.

Dr. Walley, a Catholic obstetrician, emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Memorial University of Newfoundland and founder of Matercare International, made these remarks during an interview with LifeSiteNews at the 5th conference of Catholic Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in Rome. “There’s a crisis in obstetrics,” said Walley. “People don’t want to go into it. When I started in obstetrics, it was what you might call a glamour specialty, all about delivering babies. Now, with everything being based on abortion and birth control, you’re in a position where people are saying ‘I don’t want to be involved in doing the abortions.”

The physician also drew a parallel between the development of abortion in obstetrics and the ongoing push around the world for medically assisted euthanasia. “You will get doctors who pull out of their specialties because they don’t want to get involved in euthanasia.”

“We might be looking at the demise of any Catholic involvement in health care.”

Dr. Walley is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada, a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists of Canada, a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists of England, and has a Masters degree in International Health from Harvard University.

He founded MaterCare International in 1995 in response to a request by the Vatican for an organisation that supports Catholic ob/gyns. He was appointed a Consultor to the Pontifical Council for Health by Pope John Paul II in 1985 and has been reappointed twice, most recently in 1996. MCI, an organization of obstetricians, gynaecologists, midwives and general practitioners is “dedicated to reducing the tragically high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity throughout the world, through new initiatives of service, training, research, and advocacy.”

Speaking to LifeSiteNews.com in Rome last week Dr. Walley said that the conscience issue “has been acute for 35 years.” Catholic ob/gyns who adhere faithfully to the teaching of the church, he said, are being pushed out of the field all over the world.

“I left England over precisely what we’re seeing now. I was told I had to do the abortions, or I could quit the specialty, or I could leave the country. So I left the country.” And this message is being repeated around the world to Catholics in health care, particularly in ob/gyn specialties: “You can do the abortions or leave the profession.”

Founded as a part of a high level conference sponsored by the Vatican on Catholic ethics and HIV/AIDS, MaterCare International organises pro-life obstetricians and gynaecologists around the world. The 5th semi-annual conference in Rome last week hosted physicians, ethicists and politicians from fifteen countries, including Poland, Australia, Ireland, Canada, the US, Britain, Kenya and the Czech Republic. MaterCare, however, is facing ongoing funding challenges. Currently the organization is run by a staff of three on a fraying shoestring budget, a situation that Dr. Walley said must be remedied.

The field of obstetrics, said Dr. Walley, is overwhelmingly committed to the idea that abortion, sterilisation and artificial contraception are integral parts of women’s health care. “The problem we’re having with MaterCare is that we are challenging the status quo. Therefore we have great difficulty getting the support of governments.”

Surprisingly, however, he also said MaterCare has “quite a lot of trouble getting support from Catholic organisations.”

Although MaterCare was founded as a project of the Vatican, and endorsed and encouraged by the late Pope John Paul II, at this year’s conference the MaterCare group was received in a papal audience only as a late addition to a different conference on organ transplants scheduled for the same day. Dr. Walley told LifeSiteNews.com that the lower profile of MaterCare was due to financing difficulties. “There is no support from Catholic organisations with the money.”

“I keep on telling bishops and priests, please pray for the obstetricians and gynaecologists who are doing the abortions, but for goodness’ sake, pray for the ones who don’t. And that kind of underscores the problem. That nobody seems to care about it. My point is, what are you going to do when we’ve gone? When there are no more Catholic physicians in the field?”

Dr. Walley recalled the message given to MaterCare International by Pope John Paul II, “He said, look, the Church needs you. I understand it’s very difficult, but the Church needs you.”

“But then he went on to give the challenge to the whole Church, and said that it’s not just the responsibility of a few ob/gyns, it’s the responsibility of the whole Church to support you, to encourage you, to bring it together.”

But MaterCare remains “embryonic” he said. “We don’t have the money to go out beating the bushes” to find and organise ethical ob/gyns around the world. “If you want a dynamic, enthusiastic organisation, then you’ve got to have dynamic enthusiastic members.” Members of MaterCare pay a membership rate and these funds support the work of the organisation, but it falls far short of the needs of an international organisation for staffing, travel and operating costs, he said. 

“When we go back to Canada, we’re going to concentrate on nothing else but getting people to join,” he concluded. 


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: abortion; bioethics; catholics; euthanasia; healthcare; moralabsolutes; prolife
The culture of death's bloodlust is going to result in even more death if hospitals start closing.
1 posted on 11/12/2008 3:45:40 PM PST by wagglebee
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To: cgk; Coleus; cpforlife.org; narses; 8mmMauser; NYer; Salvation; Pyro7480

Pro-Life/Catholic Ping


2 posted on 11/12/2008 3:47:13 PM PST by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: 185JHP; 230FMJ; 50mm; 69ConvertibleFirebird; Aleighanne; Alexander Rubin; ...
Moral Absolutes Ping!

Freepmail wagglebee to subscribe or unsubscribe from the moral absolutes ping list.

FreeRepublic moral absolutes keyword search
[ Add keyword moral absolutes to flag FR articles to this ping list ]


3 posted on 11/12/2008 3:47:44 PM PST by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: wagglebee

A lot of things are destroying the medical profession. The poor quality of education in medical schools, the malpractice industry, corruption from the pharmaceutical cartels, and the liberal pro-abortionism. They need changes across the board.


4 posted on 11/12/2008 3:51:36 PM PST by HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity
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To: wagglebee

bump


5 posted on 11/12/2008 3:51:47 PM PST by diamond6 (Is SIDS preventable? www.Stopsidsnow.com)
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To: wagglebee
WARNING: POSSIBLY DISTURBING IMAGE (FOR PRO-LIFERS).

YOU PRO-ABORTS WILL FIND IT GRATIFYING.

Time to stop sugar-coating this subject. This shot was taken by a pro-life activist behind an abortuary. But those aren’t human babies. The One has told us so.

Photobucket

ALL HAIL “THE ONE!”

6 posted on 11/12/2008 3:55:07 PM PST by Dick Bachert
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To: Dick Bachert

oh my Dick.....

my heart....


7 posted on 11/12/2008 3:57:18 PM PST by eeevil conservative (GIVE ME A PLACE TO STAND AND I WILL MOVE THE EARTH....Archimedes)
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To: Dick Bachert

That’s the most horrifying image I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot.


8 posted on 11/12/2008 3:59:21 PM PST by word_warrior_bob (You can now see my amazing doggie and new puppy on my homepage!! Come say hello to Jake & Sonny)
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To: Dick Bachert

so sad.

each one has his or her own unique face and features. But their story ends there.


9 posted on 11/12/2008 4:00:36 PM PST by MNDude
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To: Dick Bachert

I’ve been combat deployed 3 times and that is the most heartbreaking thing I have ever seen. I pray God has more mercy on the human race then I would.


10 posted on 11/12/2008 4:07:45 PM PST by ArchAngel1983 (Arch Angel- on guard)
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To: All
Pinged from Terri Dailies


11 posted on 11/12/2008 4:13:15 PM PST by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: wagglebee

“I left England over precisely what we’re seeing now. I was told I had to do the abortions, or I could quit the specialty, or I could leave the country. So I left the country.” And this message is being repeated around the world to Catholics in health care, particularly in ob/gyn specialties: “You can do the abortions or leave the profession.”

Although it would cause Ayn Rand to spin in her grave, it won’t be long until religious people wonder if there is a place in Galt’s Gulch for them as well.


12 posted on 11/12/2008 4:16:24 PM PST by Lou Budvis (Demoralize his base, Blame him for everything. Hold him to all his worthless promises)
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To: wagglebee

Along with Abortion and Euthanasia there is another practice that is kept very quiet: Infanticide. A suppository is placed into the woman’s cervix. It has enough hormones to trigger the labor process. The baby is “born alive” and whole where it is allowed to die in a bucket.

If these monsters can do this to a baby, they can push death onto a person in the twilight of his life. Just withdraw the pain medication and, like with any torture, get the response they want.


13 posted on 11/12/2008 4:20:02 PM PST by jonrick46
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To: Dick Bachert

That is truly one of the most heartbreaking pictures that I have EVER seen; however, I also believe that it MUST be shown.


14 posted on 11/12/2008 4:24:22 PM PST by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: Dick Bachert
See my post #13. These babies were the result of induced labor where a hormone laden suppository is place in the cervix. The hormones will induce the labor process which expels the baby whole and alive. These babies are placed in a bucket (shown in the photo) and allowed to die. This is infanticide folks.

We need to get someone brave enough to make videos of this process and the sound of a baby crying as it dies. We need to get videos of the monsters who perform these acts. And we need to get videos of the women laughing as they emerge from these infanticide mills.

15 posted on 11/12/2008 4:29:14 PM PST by jonrick46
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To: wagglebee
Pray for LIFE!

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Abortion and Euthanasia Bringing about the Demise of Catholic Health Care: Catholic Obstetrician
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16 posted on 11/12/2008 4:36:13 PM PST by Salvation ( †With God all things are possible.†)
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To: wagglebee

I am a new nurse planning on going on to advanced practice. I had thought to be a Certified Nurse Midwife, but don’t really see how someone unwilling to prescribe abortifacient contraception would be employable in a country where most women spend most of their fertile years trying not to be pregnant using that contraception. Sure there are practices which don’t perform abortions, but practices which don’t do abortifacient contraception must be few and far between.

Next thought, CRNA, and now I’m wondering, under Obama, would all conscience clauses be voided, and all hospitals to perform abortion, and CRNAs required to provide anesthesia for abortions?


17 posted on 11/12/2008 6:30:18 PM PST by heartwood
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To: Dick Bachert

Print it and keep it in your wallet. Pray for them.

Show the picture to the next asshole that mocks the Pro Prenatal Life movement.


18 posted on 11/12/2008 7:16:39 PM PST by Gene Eric
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To: Dick Bachert

Yes Dick, please keep this picture going. It has been pictured on many “extreme” (aka “honest”) pro-life websites and reportedly shows the result of one morning’s worth of OB/GYN “classes” in a publicly financed Canadian hospital.

This is happening here in America — but not on the federal dime as yet. Soon, thanks to THE ONE that will change.

My heart weeps for our nation.


19 posted on 11/12/2008 8:09:25 PM PST by jjmann3
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