Mass. cardinal: No abortions at Catholic hospitals

Associated Press ^ | Thursday June 11, 2009 | Steve Leblanc

[presidio9]

Caritas Christi Health Care, which operates six hospitals in Massachusetts, will neither perform abortions nor make referrals to other health care providers for patients seeking abortions, Cardinal Sean O'Malley said.

O'Malley issued the statement after Catholic and anti-abortion activists criticized the decision by Caritas Christi, which is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, to enter into a partnership with a secular health care company.

The joint venture with Celtic Group, Inc. would allow Caritas Christi to participate in the state's health care connector program, created under the landmark 2006 health care law to help residents sign up for lower-cost insurance plans.

Activists say the connector insurance plans offered by the joint venture, known as Celticare Health Plan, will make abortion referrals.

They point to a Celticare Web site they said provides links to family planning and reproductive service providers, including Planned Parenthood, which offer abortion services. They say that's a clear violation of Catholic principles, which prohibit abortion.

C. J. Doyle, executive director of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, called the web site listings "final and conclusive proof that Caritas Christi will be a participant in state subsidized abortions."

"The question of Caritas Christi's involvement in practices which violate fundamental Catholic moral teaching has now been answered repeatedly and definitively," Doyle said in a written statement.

O'Malley defended the hospitals saying "it has always been clear to me that Caritas Christi has been consistently faithful in its commitment to comply with Catholic moral teaching."

"Under no circumstances will Caritas either perform procedures prohibited by the Catholic Bishops' Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services or refer any patient to other providers who perform or procure such procedures,"

[GeronL]

Good for them.

[Niuhuru]

Well, I’ll be, Massacchusettes actually has someone in the church who doesn’t encourage abortion.

[rahbert]

Either you’re Catholic, or you’re not. Its not a cafeteria.
No Reformed/Conservative/Orthodox choices.

[GraceG]

It is a free market, they want their abortion let them pick a yellow pages and make some calls.

I love the free market by the way.

Good for the Catholic church.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

First of all, I don’t think this article was very clear. And second, there was no mention of the State trying to coerce the Catholic hospitals, which I believe was previously an issue.

Any clarifications?

[presidio9]

Try reading the article again first. Then be a little more specific about what you’re looking for when you get back to me.

[11th Commandment]

NEXT POLICEY: Any treatment for any disease that was discovered by the use of unethical embryonic stem cell destruction will not be performed in Catholic Hospitals.

[lilylangtree]

I’m wondering how long it will take for some to contact ACLU for a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the hospitals. Because THIS will happen.

[reefdiver]

Hard to imagine that any one would expect a Catholic hospital to do such a procedure. But the left has torn down much of what used to be considered a norm. I so detest these people, lower than pond scum

[itsahoot]

Hard to imagine that any one would expect a Catholic hospital to do such a procedure.

Not so hard, they wanted Miss California to attend a homosexual orgy disguised as entertainment. Homosexual agenda is all about either desensitizing, or crushing dissenting views.

The worn out statement that "I don't care what people do in their own bedrooms" is fallacious.

Their bedroom is a breeding place of for your school teachers, doctors, lawyers, pastors...and whomever may have access to your children.

Sadly the same notion is not applied to you medicine cabinet, of refrigerator.

NAMBLA's motto, "Sex be fore eight, or its too late," makes one wonder, if we are born that way, how can it be too late.

[sauron]

No Reformed/Conservative/Orthodox choices.

You don't mean Orthodox Christian, do you? (You must be referring to some subgroup of Roman Catholics, I hope, that I have never heard of?)

...because it is the Orthodox Christians who would make Roman Catholics look...well, look cosmopolitan in some ways.

I'm assuming it was an error on your part. Don't lump us Orthodox in with any liberal-values types. Big mistake, and offensive.

Sauron

[Joe Boucher]

I agree rahbert,
No maybe’s no but’s, to a good Catholic, abortion is murder regardless of what some gubmint goober says.

[rahbert]

sorry; didn’t mean to refer to Orthodox Christians but rather to the gradiations of Judaism.

[A.A. Cunningham]

No maybe’s no but’s, to a good Catholic, abortion is murder regardless of what some gubmint goober says.

Correction: No maybe’s no but’s, to a good Catholic, direct abortion is murder regardless of what some gubmint goober says.

[Big_Monkey]

My only question (and I'm a pro-life Catholic) is what about Ectopic pregnancies? While technically, these are abortions, there's no chance of bringing the child to term and death is a very possible outcome for the mother if not treated early enough.

Would the church make an exception in this case?

[Ditto]

Ectopic pregnancy

[Ditto]

Would the church make an exception in this case?

Here is the Church's position. The 'short' answer is yes, but with qualifications.

[Joe Boucher]

You know what I meant A.A. Cunningham

[presidio9]

If you’re Catholic, I wonder if you’ve paid attention. The Catholic Church has always permitted abortions to save the life of the mother. This is not to be confused with the Catholic policy on pregnancies that result from rape or incest. The Catholic policy there is the logical one: a new human life is a new human life, and the value of that life superceeds all else.