I was plowing through my unread pile of newspapers and came to the report by Patrick Howington of October 17; “Hospital Merger- Altered Catholic rules pose problems.” A subtitle asserted that “Hospital officials say fears of church interference are overblown.” Really! In point of fact, they are not overblown at all. A number of examples of church and secular hospital mergers were listed for which the winks and nods and work-a-rounds that were approved by a local bishop were overturned later by higher authorities or changes in rules. We are not talking about a theoretical problem.
By coincidence (or perhaps as a sign) as I read this article today, the leadoff report on the CBS Sunday Morning Show focused on a Catholic hospital in Phoenix. A woman who was 11 weeks pregnant developed severe pulmonary hypertension as a complication of her pregnancy. The result for both her and her fetus would have been fatal. The local hospital Ethics Committee considered her case and gave its approval for an emergency abortion to save the life of the mother. That decision was shared by the nun who sat on the committee. The woman’s life was saved but her pregnancy was sadly but predictably lost. Continue reading “Why Is A Bishop Even In The Room?”