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| Wesley J Smith |
Colorado doctor Barbara Morris wants to assist her patient’s suicide. She works at Centura Health, a Catholic / Seventh Day Adventist-owned hospital that prohibits its employees from participating in assisted suicide, which is legal in Colorado.
Morris sued to be allowed to participate in her patient’s suicide by doctor — which would not happen in the hospital. The hospital responded by firing Morris for violating the terms of her contract by seeking to engage in acts in the context of her employment that violate the hospital’s religiously based moral beliefs.
Morris contends she can’t be prohibited from assisting her patient’s suicide because the Colorado law only allows health care facilities to opt-out if the suicide will occur on-site. The hospital is seeking shelter in the Trump administration’s medical conscience protection policies.
Expect more of these kinds of disputes as many U.S. hospitals are Catholic or otherwise religiously affiliated with churches that reject abortion and assisted suicide doctrinally. From the Kaiser Health News story:
Medical conscience disputes are going to become far more common as health care becomes immersed in our accelerating cultural conflicts and vexing questions of federalism. Bottom line: The ultimate goal of those who seek to force medical professionals and institutions to violate their religious beliefs, I believe, is to drive pro-lifers and Hippocratic Oath-adherents out of medicine.
Morris sued to be allowed to participate in her patient’s suicide by doctor — which would not happen in the hospital. The hospital responded by firing Morris for violating the terms of her contract by seeking to engage in acts in the context of her employment that violate the hospital’s religiously based moral beliefs.
Morris contends she can’t be prohibited from assisting her patient’s suicide because the Colorado law only allows health care facilities to opt-out if the suicide will occur on-site. The hospital is seeking shelter in the Trump administration’s medical conscience protection policies.
Expect more of these kinds of disputes as many U.S. hospitals are Catholic or otherwise religiously affiliated with churches that reject abortion and assisted suicide doctrinally. From the Kaiser Health News story:
More doctors and patients in the country are providing and receiving health care subject to religious restrictions. About 1 in 6 acute care beds nationally is in a hospital that is Catholic-owned or -affiliated, said Lois Uttley, a program director for the consumer advocacy group Community Catalyst. In Colorado, one-third of the state’s hospitals operate under Catholic guidelines.The ACLU has already sued several Catholic hospitals over the last few years seeking to force them to violate Church doctrine on issues ranging from sterilization, to abortion, to sex-change surgeries.
Medical conscience disputes are going to become far more common as health care becomes immersed in our accelerating cultural conflicts and vexing questions of federalism. Bottom line: The ultimate goal of those who seek to force medical professionals and institutions to violate their religious beliefs, I believe, is to drive pro-lifers and Hippocratic Oath-adherents out of medicine.
5 comments:
I am definitely backing the doctor and doctors in these cases.. We can't let the "world" come in and force us to change our strong beliefs It is them that are wrong. If they want to commit euthanasian then let them go to people who do that and leave the Christians alone.
"The ultimate goal of those who seek to force medical professionals and institutions to violate their religious beliefs, I believe, is to drive pro-lifers and Hippocratic Oath-adherents out of medicine."
EXACTLY. I couldn't have said this better myself. They want people who value life and dignity OUT, they find no value in medical professionals who uphold our belief system.
Does she ever have a nerve. If you don't want to abide by the standards of your employer, then simply don't work for them. People go to hospitals for care, not to be "terminated" intentionally by a caregiver. Likewise if you attend a Catholic college or university, but claim to be "offended or discriminated" against by the Catholicity of the institution, then you should never have enrolled there to begin with.
In my city (in Canada) there is ONLY ONE 'Catholic' hospital that I know of. It is known to be a 'Palliative Care' Hospital; and I'm not sure if it even has an E.R.. or if it deals with illnesses wherein the patients are NOT 'dying'. However, that small hospital is literally, FULL most of the time.
In the last year, I've refused to go to 'regular' hospitals' ER's -- BECAUSE almost every time I've had a 'medical emergency' & was taken by ambulance to the nearest E.R.; I've been asked by medical professionals if I was 'willing to ask for, or consent to, Assisted Suicide'!! When I answered, "NO", I was met with some 'attitude' by my supposed 'caregivers'. I DID inform them that I had a written 'Directive' that my sons have in their possession -- should I NOT be able to speak for myself! This is VERY SCARY STUFF! Glad to hear that Colorado protects the rights of patients in Catholic Hospitals!!
This is what boggles my mind- if a person is not interested in Catholic values, then WHY get involved? We don't see other religious groups targeted in this way- imagine a self proclaimed atheist hospital (hah!), and a Catholic doctor working for them and suing them to do something specifically Catholic that goes against Atheist values. Everyone would say "Then don't work for an Atheist hospital". Honestly it seems to me that since many people refuse to turn the tables, it only validates and acknowledges the truth behind our Catholic beliefs, as well as the success of past Catholics to establish so many hospitals and education systems in the name of Christ. Help the poor is what they did, and now we are not allowed to help the poor either because we get sued or worse, stopped by our C.I.N.O.'s.
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