The Stodghill Family and "Catholic" Health Care

The Colorado Independent is one of numerous news outlets reporting on the tragic case of Lori Stodghill, her preborn sons, and Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives....

"Lori Stodghill was 31-years old, seven-months pregnant with twin boys and feeling sick when she arrived at St. Thomas More hospital in Cañon City on New Year’s Day 2006. She was vomiting and short of breath and she passed out as she was being wheeled into an examination room. Medical staff tried to resuscitate her but, as became clear only later, a main artery feeding her lungs was clogged and the clog led to a massive heart attack. Stodghill’s obstetrician, Dr. Pelham Staples, who also happened to be the obstetrician on call for emergencies that night, never answered a page. His patient died at the hospital less than an hour after she arrived and her twins died in her womb. 

"In the aftermath of the tragedy, Stodghill’s husband Jeremy, a prison guard, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit on behalf of himself and the couple’s then-two-year-old daughter Elizabeth. Staples should have made it to the hospital, his lawyers argued, or at least instructed the frantic emergency room staff to perform a caesarian-section. The procedure likely would not have saved the mother, a testifying expert said, but it may have saved the twins.

"The lead defendant in the case is Catholic Health Initiatives, the Englewood-based nonprofit that runs St. Thomas More Hospital as well as roughly 170 other health facilities in 17 states. Last year, the hospital chain reported national assets of $15 billion. The organization’s mission, according to its promotional literature, is to 'nurture the healing ministry of the Church' and to be guided by 'fidelity to the Gospel.' Toward those ends, Catholic Health facilities seek to follow the Ethical and Religious Directives of the Catholic Church authored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops....

"But when it came to mounting a defense in the Stodghill case, Catholic Health’s lawyers effectively turned the Church directives on their head. Catholic organizations have for decades fought to change federal and state laws that fail to protect 'unborn persons,' and Catholic Health’s lawyers in this case had the chance to set precedent bolstering anti-abortion legal arguments. Instead, they are arguing state law protects doctors from liability concerning unborn fetuses on grounds that those fetuses are not persons with legal rights.

"As Jason Langley, an attorney with Denver-based Kennedy Childs, argued in one of the briefs he filed for the defense, the court 'should not overturn the long-standing rule in Colorado that the term "person," as is used in the Wrongful Death Act, encompasses only individuals born alive. Colorado state courts define "person" under the Act to include only those born alive. Therefore Plaintiffs cannot maintain wrongful death claims based on two unborn fetuses'....

"Whether the high court decides to take the case, kick it back down to the appellate court for a second review or accept the decisions as they stand, the details of the arguments the lawyers involved have already mounted will likely renew debate about Church health care directives and trigger sharp reaction from activists on both sides of the debate looking to underline the apparent hypocrisy of Catholic Health’s defense" (John Tomasic, Colorado Independent, 1/23/13).

CNN is providing some additional details....

"Stodghill, left behind to raise their then-2-year-old daughter alone, sued the hospital and its owner, Catholic Health Initiatives, for the wrongful deaths of all three.  

"After about two years of litigation, defense attorneys for the hospital and doctors entered an argument that shocked the widower.

"They said that under state law, an embryo is not person until it is born alive, according to court documents....

"The court agreed with the argument, and Stodghill lost the suit. The court also ruled against Stodghill in the case of his wife for other legal reasons.

"The hospital and doctors then sued him for over $118,000 legal fees and attempted to garnish his wages, according to a legal document filed on his behalf.

"The defendants offered to forget the fees if Stodghill dropped his appeal. He refused and filed for bankruptcy to avoid having to pay the claim, which he says he can't afford as he struggles to raise his now-9-year-old daughter, Libby.

"Stodghill has petitioned the Colorado Supreme Court to hear his case, and he'd like to hear from the Catholic Church.

"Representatives of the Catholic bishops of Colorado declined to comment on the legal proceedings, but said they will review the litigation and Catholic Health Initiatives' practices 'to ensure fidelity and faithful witness to the teachings of the Catholic Church.'

Catholic Health Initiatives would not speak to CNN on camera, but said in a statement, 'In this case... as Catholic organizations, (we) are in union with the moral teachings of the Church'" (Ben Brumfield and Kyung Lah, CNN, 1/26/13).

As per a press release appearing on the web site of the Archdiocese of Denver,

"The Catholic bishops of Colorado learned recently of the deaths of Lori Stodghill and her two unborn children, which took place at St. Thomas More Hospital in Cañon City, Colo. in 2006. We wish to extend our solidarity and sympathy to Lori’s husband Jeremy, and her daughter, Elizabeth. Please be assured of our ongoing prayers.  

"From the moment of conception, human beings are endowed with dignity and with fundamental rights, the most foundational of which is life.

"Catholics and Catholic institutions have the duty to protect and foster human life, and to witness to the dignity of the human person—particularly to the dignity of the unborn. No Catholic institution may legitimately work to undermine fundamental human dignity.

"Catholic Health Initiatives is a Catholic institution which provides health care services in 14 states, providing care to thousands of people annually. Catholic Health Initiatives has been accused by some of undermining the Catholic position on human life in the course of litigation. Today, representatives of Catholic Health Initiatives assured us of their intention to observe the moral and ethical obligations of the Catholic Church [Emphasis and questions added: Your Excellencies, why have you only "learned recently" of this case, which has apparently been in litigation for years?  Isn't it your responsibility to safeguard that what is said by Catholic institutions actually aligns with reality?]

"The Catholic bishops of Colorado are not able to comment on ongoing legal disputes. However, we will undertake a full review of this litigation, and of the policies and practices of Catholic Health Initiatives to ensure fidelity and faithful witness to the teachings of the Catholic Church."

Our Own Catholic Hospitals are Beyond Reproach.  Right?

 Six "Catholic" hospitals operate within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Organizationally, 1) Holy Redeemer stands alone;  2) Mercy Fitzgerald, 3) Mercy Philadelphia, 4) Mercy Suburban, and 5) Nazareth operate under the Mercy Health System umbrella. In turn, Mercy Health System and 6) Saint Mary Medical Center fall under the umbrella of Catholic Health East of Newtown Square.  Hospitals overseen by Catholic Health East are found in 11 states, including New Jersey.  In the Diocese of Trenton, both 7) Lourdes Medical Center and 8) Saint Francis Medical Center fall under Catholic Health East.

As per the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, "Catholic health care services must adopt these Directives [i.e., the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services] as policy, require adherence to them within the institution as a condition for medical privileges and employment, and provide appropriate instruction regarding the Directives for administration, medical and nursing staff, and other personnel."  While our Catholic Hospitals certainly voice allegiance to Catholic teaching, your Excellencies, isn't it your responsibility to safeguard that what is said by Catholic institutions actually aligns with reality?

Why Are IVF Specialists Allowed ANY Association with Holy Redeemer? 

Holy Redeemer's website states: "If you’re pregnant or planning on having a baby, you’ve come to the right place. Our board-certified obstetricians offer the latest medical expertise that can help maintain your health and the health of your baby at a convenient location near you."  Yet, ALL of Holy Redeemer's "Reproductive Endocrinologists and Obstetricians" are IVF specialists (i.e., Drs Larry Barnat and Jennifer Nichols of Abington Reproductive Medicine; Drs Arthur Castelbaum, Martin Freedman, and Benjamin Gocial of Reproductive Medicine Associates of Philadelphia; Dr Maria Pia Platia of Fertility and Gynecology Associates) and NONE of Holy Redeemer's obstetricians are found on a list of NFP-only physicians!  Doesn't it appear that Holy Redeemer is PROMOTING providers of services condemned by Church teaching? Your Excellencies, isn't it your responsibility to safeguard that what is said by Catholic institutions actually aligns with reality?

"Reductions" and St. Mary Medical Center

Saint Mary's claims that it is "Bucks County's most trusted and preferred maternity services" with "24 OB/GYN specialists" and "high-risk pregnancy management experts."  Yet, NONE of these "24 OB/GYN specialists" (nor any of their "high-risk pregnancy management experts") are found on a list of NFP-only physicians.  In fact, ALL of St. Mary's "high-risk pregnancy management experts" are associates of Dr. Frank Craparo of Abington Perinatal Associates.  Abington Perinatal Associates is known for "reductions" - a euphemism for "abortions" (cf., See http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/selective-reduction-termination-due-health-issues/714760-selective-reduction-twin-singleton.html)!  Doesn't it appear that Saint Mary's is PROMOTING providers of services condemned by Church teaching? Your Excellencies, isn't it your responsibility to safeguard that what is said by Catholic institutions actually aligns with reality?

Direct Sterilizations, "Reductions," and Lourdes

Dr. Sandra Hapenney "found that between 2007 and 2009, more than 20,000 women who gave birth at Catholic hospitals in New Jersey and six other states then had their 'tubes tied.' Eighty-five hospitals - almost half of those providing obstetric services - were doing sterilizations to end fertility.  Among these were...Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingboro.... Bishop David M. O'Connell of the Trenton Diocese said in an e-mail that he had talked to hospital administrators and had 'been assured that procedures at Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County were in compliance'" (Bishops decry Obama birth control plan, yet Catholic hospitals report sterilizations, Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/20/12). Your Excellency, isn't it your responsibility to safeguard that what is said by Catholic institutions actually aligns with reality?

It should be noted that NONE of Lourdes' gynecologists or obstetricians are to be found on a list of NFP-only physicians.  As per Lourdes, "Our maternal-fetal medicine specialists have subspecialty training in maternal- fetal medicine (high-risk pregnancy). These physicians are obstetricians with specialized and additional training in complicated (often called "high-risk") pregnancies. Such pregnancies may include women with pre-existing medical conditions (for example, diabetes, high-blood pressure, thyroid disease) or those with a problem in the current pregnancy such as premature labor or multiple gestation (when you carry more than one baby-twins, triplets, etc.)."  It should be noted that the only maternal fetal medicine specialist listed in Lourdes' directory has co-authored an article, in which it was claimed that "Selective reduction of multifetal pregnancies for the three indications described is an ethically justifiable option for the management of multifetal pregnancy, to which there are no public policy obstacles" (Wapner R, Davis G, Johnson A, et al Selective reduction of multifetal pregnancies. The Lancet. Vol. 335: 90-93 (1990   January )).  Unless he has had a dramatic ethical conversion, why is Dr. George H. Davis associated with Lourdes?  Your Excellency, isn't it your responsibility to safeguard that what is said by Catholic institutions actually aligns with reality?

Our Catholic Hospitals and the Memory of Terri Schiavo

•  "24. In compliance with federal law, a Catholic health care institution will make available to patients information about their rights, under the laws of their state, to make an advance directive for their medical treatment. The institution, however, will not honor an advance directive that is contrary to Catholic teaching. If the advance directive conflicts with Catholic teaching, an explanation should be provided as to why the directive cannot be honored" (Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services).

Neither Saint Mary's Advanced Directives and Living Wills, nor Holy Redeemer's Making Your Own Health Care Decisions and Advance Directive Form, nor Mercy Health System's Vendor Compliance Program, nor Lourdes' Pre Admission testing, nor St. Francis' Advance Directives properly specify 

1. Catholic teaching with regard to nutrition and hydration, and
2. that health care services cannot honor advance directives (e.g., non-specific directives to forego nutrition and hydration) opposed to Catholic teaching (cf., Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, Charter for Health Care Workers, 1995; Address of John Paul II to the Participants in the International Congress on "Life-Sustaining Treatments and Vegetative State: Scientific Advances and Ethical Dilemnas", 3/20/04; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Responses to Certain Questions of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Concerning Artificial Nutrition and Hydration, 8/1/07; USCCB, Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (5th ed), 11/17/09).

Again your Excellencies, isn't it your responsibility to safeguard that what is said by Catholic institutions actually aligns with reality?

Conscience Protections

Dr. Hapenney prophetically noted that ""Catholic hospitals are in jeopardy of defending themselves against judicial challenges and could strip themselves of the ability to mount a political front to aid in defending the conscience clauses" (Appeal to Conscience Clauses in the Face of Divergent Practices among Catholic Hospitals).  If Catholic hospitals are not insisting upon absolute adherence to Catholic medical ethics, what hope do Catholic health care professionals in secular settings have of seeing their conscience rights protected?

"Cooperation"

For bishops, ethicists, pro life leaders, and/or any faithful Catholic to look away from the behavior of Catholic institutions strikes me as a misapplication of "cooperation," as described by the Pontifical Academy for Life.  Going further, the USCCB reminds us that "Cooperation, which in all other respects is morally licit, may need to be refused because of the scandal that might be caused....The diocesan bishop has final responsibility for assessing and addressing issues of scandal, considering not only the circumstances in his local diocese but also the regional and national implications of his decision" (Directive 71 of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services) .

  

Pope Benedict XVI: "prohibit that agency from using the name 'Catholic'"

If I have made any incorrect statement, I ask that this be pointed out by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and/or the Diocese of Trenton.  The Holy Father certainly seems to recognize that parents and grandparents have every right to expect authenticity from institutions which call themselves "Catholic." 

"Art. 11. – The diocesan Bishop is obliged, if necessary, to make known to the faithful the fact that the activity of a particular charitable agency is no longer being carried out in conformity with the Church’s teaching, and then to prohibit that agency from using the name 'Catholic' [emphasis added] and to take the necessary measures should personal responsibilities emerge....(Apostolic Letter Issued 'Motu Proprio' of the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI on the Services of Charity).

Your Excellencies, please stop abuse of God's people - particularly that of future generations - by these "Catholic" hospitals.

Games "Catholic" Hospitals Play in Philly & Central Jersey?

Monopoly?

Six "Catholic" hospitals operate within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Organizationally, 1) Holy Redeemer stands alone;  2) Mercy Fitzgerald, 3) Mercy Philadelphia, 4) Mercy Suburban, and 5) Nazareth operate under the Mercy Health System umbrella. In turn, Mercy Health System and 6) Saint Mary Medical Center fall under the umbrella of Catholic Health East of Newtown Square.

Catholic Health East's arms spread much, much further than the Keystone State.  Hospitals overseen by Catholic Health East can be found in 11 states, including New Jersey.  In the Diocese of Trenton, both 7) Lourdes Medical Center and 8) Saint Francis Medical Center fall under Catholic Health East.

So, of eight "Catholic" hospitals in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Diocese of Trenton, all but one ultimately falls under Catholic Health East. It was recently commented that "It is worth evaluating the practices of those health care systems...which also operate in states outside the study area. The practices of such systems may be reflected in the other states in which they operate" (Appeal to Conscience Clauses in the Face of Divergent Practices among Catholic Hospitals).

As per the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, "Catholic health care services must adopt these Directives [i.e., the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services] as policy, require adherence to them within the institution as a condition for medical privileges and employment, and provide appropriate instruction regarding the Directives for administration, medical and nursing staff, and other personnel."

 

To Tell the Truth?

While my parents were neither college graduates nor experts on scripture or moral theology, they were well able to understand right from wrong.  They knew that we are called to be truthful and not to be duplicitous.  My parents were also keenly aware of our Lord's frightening language, in saying that we 'd be better off to have "a millstone...put around...[the] neck and...be thrown into the sea than...to cause one of these little ones to sin."   

While trying to be faithful, unsuspecting Catholic patients and their families - our Lord's "little ones" - no doubt take comfort in statements such as these:

• "As a Catholic healthcare provider, Holy Redeemer expects that all health care practitioners adhere to the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services at health system locations."  
• "In line with our Core Values of Integrity, Reverence for Each Person and Stewardship, we conduct our affairs with an emphasis on compliance and ethics. Our mission and core values will guide the behavior of all directors/ trustees, employees, affiliated professionals, contractors, volunteers, students and others affiliated with Mercy Health System (MHS).  This policy sets forth the standards by which all those above will conduct themselves in order to protect and promote organization-wide integrity and to enhance the ability of MHS to achieve its business and strategic objectives in a manner consistent with the Mission and Values of MHS, the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (5^th ed.) and applicable laws and regulations."
• "As a Catholic health system, the ERT [Saint Mary Medical Center's Ethics Resource Team] adheres to the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services."
• "Our Lady of Lourdes, a Catholic Health System dedicated to its Franciscan Tradition of serving all, will demonstrate the value of Integrity by fostering an ethical and moral environment where the behavior of associates is positively impacted by the services of the Corporate Compliance Program and this Code of Ethics Statement."
• "As a Catholic hospital operating in accordance with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, St. Francis Medical Center celebrates Mass and provides Holy Communion and other sacraments for Catholic patients and their loved ones."

Are these statements indeed verifiable, or are Our Lord's "little ones" being left in harm's way?

 

What's My Line at Holy Redeemer?

Holy Redeemer's website tells the unsuspecting: "If you’re pregnant or planning on having a baby, you’ve come to the right place. Our board-certified obstetricians offer the latest medical expertise that can help maintain your health and the health of your baby at a convenient location near you."  Now, what are some of the specific parameters under which Catholic OBGYN services operate?   

• "40. Heterologous fertilization (that is, any technique used to achieve conception by the use of gametes coming from at least one donor other than the spouses) is prohibited because it is contrary to the covenant of marriage, the unity of the spouses, and the dignity proper to parents and the child" (Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services). 
• "41. Homologous artificial fertilization (that is, any technique used to achieve conception using the gametes of the two spouses joined in marriage) is prohibited when it separates procreation from the marital act in its unitive significance (e.g., any technique used to achieve extracorporeal conception)" (Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services).  
• "52. Catholic health institutions may not promote or condone contraceptive practices but should provide, for married couples and the medical staff who counsel them, instruction both about the Church’s teaching on responsible parenthood and in methods of natural family planning" (Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services).   

ALL of Holy Redeemer's "Reproductive Endocrinologists and Obstetricians" are IVF specialists (i.e., Drs Larry Barnat and Jennifer Nichols of Abington Reproductive Medicine; Drs Arthur Castelbaum, Martin Freedman, and Benjamin Gocial of Reproductive Medicine Associates of Philadelphia; Dr Maria Pia Platia of Fertility and Gynecology Associates) and NONE of Holy Redeemer's obstetricians are to be found on a list of NFP-only physicians!

How could it be believably argued that Holy Redeemer is MERELY providing hospital privileges to providers of morally prohibited services under some sort of supposed duress?  Holy Redeemer tells people that their "board-certified obstetricians offer the latest medical expertise that can help maintain your health and the health of your baby at a convenient location near you" and provides contact information for outside practices.  Isn't Holy Redeemer actually PROMOTING providers of services condemned by Church teaching?

 

Catch Me If You Can at St. Mary's?

Saint Mary's claims that it is "Bucks County's most trusted and preferred maternity services" with "24 OB/GYN specialists" and "high-risk pregnancy management experts."  Yet, NONE of these "24 OB/GYN specialists" (nor any of their "high-risk pregnancy management experts") are to be found on a list of NFP-only physicians.  In fact, ALL of St. Mary's "high-risk pregnancy management experts" - including Dr. Stephen Smith - are associates of Dr. Frank Craparo of Abington Perinatal Associates.  Abington Perinatal Associates is known for "reductions" - a euphemism for "abortions" (cf., See http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/selective-reduction-termination-due-health-issues/714760-selective-reduction-twin-singleton.html)!

• "45. Abortion (that is, the directly intended termination of pregnancy before viability or the directly intended destruction of a viable fetus) is never permitted. Every procedure whose sole immediate effect is the termination of pregnancy before viability is an abortion, which, in its moral context, includes the interval between conception and implantation of the embryo. Catholic health care institutions are not to provide abortion services, even based upon the principle of material cooperation. In this context, Catholic health care institutions need to be concerned about the danger of scandal in any association with abortion providers" (Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services).

Dr. Smith's name was previously removed from St. Mary's online directory; it is less than three years since the Huffington Post reported the following: 

• "Dr. Stephen Smith of St. Mary's performed an ultrasound on an expecting mother and confirmed that the fetus had polycystic kidney disease, a fatal condition in infants. Smith recommended an abortion.... local abortion opponents publicized Smith's advice....any pledge to support Catholic doctrine on medical matters is broadly viewed as a formality to be agreed to and then summarily ignored."

How could it be believably argued that Saint Mary's is MERELY providing hospital privileges to providers of morally prohibited services under some sort of supposed duress?  Saint Mary's tells people that it is "Bucks County's most trusted and preferred maternity services" with "24 OB/GYN specialists" and "high-risk pregnancy management experts."  It goes on to provide contact information for outside practices.  Isn't Saint Mary's actually PROMOTING providers of services condemned by Church teaching?

 

Operation at Lourdes?

• "53. Direct sterilization of either men or women, whether permanent or temporary, is not permitted in a Catholic health care institution. Procedures that induce sterility are permitted when their direct effect is the cure or alleviation of a present and serious pathology and a simpler treatment is not available" (Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services).

In spite of the above prohibition,

• Dr. Sandra Hapenney "found that between 2007 and 2009, more than 20,000 women who gave birth at Catholic hospitals in New Jersey and six other states then had their 'tubes tied.' Eighty-five hospitals - almost half of those providing obstetric services - were doing sterilizations to end fertility.  Among these were...Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingboro.... Bishop David M. O'Connell of the Trenton Diocese said in an e-mail that he had talked to hospital administrators and had 'been assured that procedures at Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County were in compliance'" (Bishops decry Obama birth control plan, yet Catholic hospitals report sterilizations, Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/20/12). 
•  Dr. Hapenney also noted that "It is worth evaluating the practices of those health care systems included in the study which also operate in states outside the study area. The practices of such systems may be reflected in the other states in which they operate....Catholic Health East operates in eleven states....Four of its hospitals were studied and of them three reported V25.2 codes [i.e., sterilization codes]" (Appeal to Conscience Clauses in the Face of Divergent Practices among Catholic Hospitals).

As per Lourdes, "All of our obstetricians are Board Certified or Board Eligible by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology or the American Osteopathic Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology."  While that may indeed be the case, the fact that NONE of Lourdes' gynecologists or obstetricians are to be found on a list of NFP-only physicians should raise red flags for Bishop O'Connell and the Diocese of Trenton.


As per Lourdes, "Our maternal-fetal medicine specialists have subspecialty training in maternal- fetal medicine (high-risk pregnancy). These physicians are obstetricians with specialized and additional training in complicated (often called "high-risk") pregnancies. Such pregnancies may include women with pre-existing medical conditions (for example, diabetes, high-blood pressure, thyroid disease) or those with a problem in the current pregnancy such as premature labor or multiple gestation (when you carry more than one baby-twins, triplets, etc.)."  George H. Davis, D.O. (who is also associated with UMDNJ) is the only maternal fetal medicine specialist listed in Lourdes' physician directory.  It was probably seventeen months ago that the maternal-fetal medicine / perinatology euphemism of "reduction" was first introduced to many: 

• "For all its successes, reproductive medicine has produced a paradox: in creating life where none seemed possible, doctors often generate more fetuses than they intend. In the mid-1980s, they devised an escape hatch to deal with these megapregnancies, terminating all but two or three fetuses to lower the risks to women and the babies they took home. But what began as an intervention for extreme medical circumstances has quietly become an option for women carrying twins....The procedure, which is usually performed around Week 12 of a pregnancy, involves a fatal injection of potassium chloride into the fetal chest. The dead fetus shrivels over time and remains in the womb until delivery....[Some] doctors refuse to reduce below twins unless the pregnancy presents unusual medical concerns. Among them is Dr. Ronald Wapner, director of reproductive genetics at Columbia and another reduction pioneer. Sometime in the late 1990s, when Wapner practiced in Philadelphia, he received his first two-to-one request" (The Two Minus One Pregnancy, NY Times Magazine, August 10, 2011)

Dr. George H. Davis has co-authored at least one article with Dr. Ronald Wapner: 

• "Selective reduction was carried out in 46 multifetal pregnancies by means of potassium chloride injection into the pericardial region of the fetus. There were three indications for the procedure: to improve perinatal outcome and to increase the likelihood that a term infant would be born in a multifetal pregnancy (34 women); to allow the birth of a healthy infant without the birth of a congenitally abnormal coexisting fetus (8 women); and to preserve a singleton pregnancy when the woman would otherwise have the whole pregnancy terminated (4 women). Of the 80 fetuses left after reduction 75 (94%) have survived. In 3 cases ultrasound scanning showed cardiac activity in the injected fetus 20-30 min after the initial injection despite 2 min of asystole immediately after the injection; repeated injection, carried out the same day, led to fetal death in all 3 cases. Selective reduction of multifetal pregnancies for the three indications described is an ethically justifiable option for the management of multifetal pregnancy, to which there are no public policy obstacles" (Wapner R, Davis G, Johnson A, et al Selective reduction of multifetal pregnancies. The Lancet. Vol. 335: 90-93 (1990   January )).

Unless he has had a dramatic ethical conversion, what business does Dr. Davis have setting foot inside a "Catholic" hospital?

Three Card Monte: Aren't "Catholic" Hospitals in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Diocese of Trenton Dishonoring the Memory of Philly Native Terri Schiavo?

•  "24. In compliance with federal law, a Catholic health care institution will make available to patients information about their rights, under the laws of their state, to make an advance directive for their medical treatment. The institution, however, will not honor an advance directive that is contrary to Catholic teaching. If the advance directive conflicts with Catholic teaching, an explanation should be provided as to why the directive cannot be honored" (Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services).

Neither Saint Mary's Advanced Directives and Living Wills, nor Holy Redeemer's Making Your Own Health Care Decisions and Advance Directive Form, nor Mercy Health System's Vendor Compliance Program, nor Lourdes' Pre Admission testing, nor St. Francis' Advance Directives properly specify 

1. Catholic teaching with regard to nutrition and hydration, and
2. that health care services cannot honor advance directives (e.g., non-specific directives to forego nutrition and hydration) opposed to Catholic teaching (cf., Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, Charter for Health Care Workers, 1995; Address of John Paul II to the Participants in the International Congress on "Life-Sustaining Treatments and Vegetative State: Scientific Advances and Ethical Dilemnas", 3/20/04; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Responses to Certain Questions of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Concerning Artificial Nutrition and Hydration, 8/1/07; USCCB, Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (5th ed), 11/17/09).

 

Are Philly's and Trenton's "Catholic" Hospitals Recklessly Playing Twister with Death, over "Conscience Protections"?

Dr. Hapenney prophetically noted that ""Catholic hospitals are in jeopardy of defending themselves against judicial challenges and could strip themselves of the ability to mount a political front to aid in defending the conscience clauses" (Appeal to Conscience Clauses in the Face of Divergent Practices among Catholic Hospitals).  If Catholic hospitals are not insisting upon absolute adherence to Catholic medical ethics, what hope do Catholic health care professionals in secular settings have of seeing their conscience rights protected?

 

Is It Ever OK to Play These Games?

When is it OK for Church leaders, ethicists, and/or pro life leaders - indeed for any faithful Catholic - to look away from the behavior of Catholic institutions?  Just how does the Pontifical Academy for Life explain "cooperation"?

The Pontifical Academy for Life goes on to remind us that "cooperation" does not only involve "what I have done" but it also involves "what I have failed to do":

As did my parents, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services voices concern about scandal to our Lord's "little ones":

  

While Others May Be Playing the Game, Don't We Have Only Ourselves to Blame?

Protecting Our Lord's "Little Ones": "prohibit that agency from using the name 'Catholic'"

Our good actions have always and will always speak louder than words!  Yet, the Holy Father's recent Motu Proprio indicates that our own good example is NOT synonymous with sitting back and accepting that this is "just the way it is"! Those of us who are parents and grandparents have every right to expect authenticity in the institutions which call themselves "Catholic."

"Art. 11. – The diocesan Bishop is obliged, if necessary, to make known to the faithful the fact that the activity of a particular charitable agency is no longer being carried out in conformity with the Church’s teaching, and then to prohibit that agency from using the name 'Catholic' [emphasis added] and to take the necessary measures should personal responsibilities emerge....(Apostolic Letter Issued 'Motu Proprio' of the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI on the Services of Charity).

"Trusting Tribunals" (OSV, 12/30/12)

The subtitle of Monsignor Campion's recent article stated: "Decisions of diocesan tribunals are based on facts and the Church's teaching on sacramental marriage" (Trusting Tribunals, OSV, 12/30/12).  Though he did not specifically say so, Monsignor seemed to be responding to perceptions that the dramatic increase in declarations of marital nullity (at least in the United States) has legitimized Catholic divorce and remarriage.  This is a perception which merits much more serious attention!

In his quarter century of annual addresses to the Roman Rota, Pope John Paul II evidenced growing dis-ease about possible misuse of marriage tribunals; this triggered the Vatican's 2005 Dignitas Connubii. In his own addresses to the Roman Rota, Pope Benedict XVI continued in the same vane:

• "pastoral sensitivity must be directed to avoiding matrimonial nullity when the couple seeks to marry and to striving to help the spouses solve their possible problems and find the path to reconciliation" (1/28/06).
• “the conviction that the pastoral good of the person in an irregular marital situation requires a sort of canonical regularization, independently of the validity or nullity of his/her marriage...has also spread in certain ecclesiastical milieus" [emphasis added] (1/27/07).
• "The value of interventions of the Ecclesiastical Magisterium on matrimonial and juridical issues, including the Roman Pontiff's Discourses to the Roman Rota....authoritatively teach the essential aspects of the reality of marriage" (1/26/08).
• "a problem that continues to be very real is visible to everyone....that of preserving the ecclesial community 'from the scandal of seeing in practice the value of Christian marriage being destroyed by the exaggerated and almost automatic multiplication of declarations of nullity...on the pretext of some immaturity or psychic weakness.... real incapacity...is always an exception tothe natural principle of the capacity necessary" (1/29/09)
• "some maintain that pastoral charity could justify every step towards declaring the nullity of the marriage bond in order to assist people who find themselves in irregular matrimonial situations. Truth itself, even if lip service be paid to it, tends thus to be viewed through a manipulative lens that would seek to adapt it, case by case, to the different requirements that emerge....Charity without justice is not charity, but a counterfeit" (1/28/10).
• "The good that the Church and society as a whole expect from marriage and from the family founded upon marriage is so great as to call for full pastoral commitment to this particular area" (1/22/11).
• "Christian maturity leads one to love the law ever more and want to understand it and to apply it faithfully.... These reflections acquire a special relevance in the area of laws regarding the constitutive act of Matrimony and its consummation, and the reception of Holy Orders, and of those [laws] pertaining to the respective Processes" (1/21/12).

Though Monsignor Campion's article seemed to have a "Don't worry - all is well" tone, the last two Holy Fathers appear to have evidenced deep concern about goings-on at tribunals.  I look forward to reading Pope Benedict XVI's 2013 address to the Roman Rota.

Games "Catholic" Hospitals Play in Philly & Central Jersey?

Monopoly?

As you know, six "Catholic" hospitals operate within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Organizationally, 1) Holy Redeemer stands alone;  2) Mercy Fitzgerald, 3) Mercy Philadelphia, 4) Mercy Suburban, and 5) Nazareth operate under the Mercy Health System umbrella. In turn, Mercy Health System and 6) Saint Mary Medical Center fall under the umbrella of Catholic Health East of Newtown Square.

Catholic Health East's arms spread much, much further than the Keystone State.  Hospitals overseen by Catholic Health East can be found in 11 states, including New Jersey.  In the Diocese of Trenton, both 7) Lourdes Medical Center and 8) Saint Francis Medical Center fall under Catholic Health East.

Of eight "Catholic" hospitals in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Diocese of Trenton, all but one ultimately falls under Catholic Health East (More to come on this.).

As per the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, "Catholic health care services must adopt these Directives [i.e., the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services] as policy, require adherence to them within the institution as a condition for medical privileges and employment, and provide appropriate instruction regarding the Directives for administration, medical and nursing staff, and other personnel."

 

Charades?

While my parents never went to college and were certainly not experts on scripture or moral theology, they were well able to understand right from wrong.  They were also keenly aware of our Lord's frightening language, in saying that we 'd be better off to have "a millstone...put around...[the] neck and...be thrown into the sea than...to cause one of these little ones to sin."  While trying to be faithful, unsuspecting Catholic patients and their families - our Lord's "little ones" - no doubt take comfort in statements such as these:

• "As a Catholic healthcare provider, Holy Redeemer expects that all health care practitioners adhere to the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services at health system locations."  
• "In line with our Core Values of Integrity, Reverence for Each Person and Stewardship, we conduct our affairs with an emphasis on compliance and ethics. Our mission and core values will guide the behavior of all directors/ trustees, employees, affiliated professionals, contractors, volunteers, students and others affiliated with Mercy Health System (MHS).  This policy sets forth the standards by which all those above will conduct themselves in order to protect and promote organization-wide integrity and to enhance the ability of MHS to achieve its business and strategic objectives in a manner consistent with the Mission and Values of MHS, the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (5^th ed.) and applicable laws and regulations."
• "As a Catholic health system, the ERT [Saint Mary Medical Center's Ethics Resource Team] adheres to the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services."
• "Our Lady of Lourdes, a Catholic Health System dedicated to its Franciscan Tradition of serving all, will demonstrate the value of Integrity by fostering an ethical and moral environment where the behavior of associates is positively impacted by the services of the Corporate Compliance Program and this Code of Ethics Statement."
• "As a Catholic hospital operating in accordance with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, St. Francis Medical Center celebrates Mass and provides Holy Communion and other sacraments for Catholic patients and their loved ones."

Are these statements truly verifiable, or are Our Lord's "little ones" being left in harm's way?

 

Blind Man's Bluff at Holy Redeemer?

Holy Redeemer's website tells the unsuspecting: "If you’re pregnant or planning on having a baby, you’ve come to the right place. Our board-certified obstetricians offer the latest medical expertise that can help maintain your health and the health of your baby at a convenient location near you."  ALL of Holy Redeemer's "Reproductive Endocrinologists and Obstetricians" are IVF specialists (i.e., Drs Larry Barnat and Jennifer Nichols of Abington Reproductive Medicine; Drs Arthur Castelbaum, Martin Freedman, and Benjamin Gocial of Reproductive Medicine Associates of Philadelphia; Dr Maria Pia Platia of Fertility and Gynecology Associates)!  NONE of Holy Redeemer's obstetricians are to be found on a list of NFP-only physicians!

• "41. Homologous artificial fertilization (that is, any technique used to achieve conception using the gametes of the two spouses joined in marriage) is prohibited when it separates procreation from the marital act in its unitive significance (e.g., any technique used to achieve extracorporeal conception)" (Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services).  
• "52. Catholic health institutions may not promote or condone contraceptive practices but should provide, for married couples and the medical staff who counsel them, instruction both about the Church’s teaching on responsible parenthood and in methods of natural family planning" (Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services).   

How could it be believably argued that Holy Redeemer is MERELY providing hospital privileges to providers of morally prohibited services under some sort of supposed duress? Isn't Holy Redeemer actually PROMOTING providers of services condemned by Church teaching?

 

Catch Me If You Can at St. Mary's?

Saint Mary's claims that it is "Bucks County's most trusted and preferred maternity services" with "24 OB/GYN specialists" and "high-risk pregnancy management experts."  Yet, NONE of these "24 OB/GYN specialists" (nor any of their "high-risk pregnancy management experts") are to be found on a list of NFP-only physicians.  In fact, ALL of St. Mary's "high-risk pregnancy management experts" - including Dr. Stephen Smith - are associates of Dr. Frank Craparo of Abington Perinatal Associates.  Abington Perinatal Associates is known for "reductions" - a euphemism for "abortions" (cf., See http://www.fertilethoughts.com/forums/selective-reduction-termination-due-health-issues/714760-selective-reduction-twin-singleton.html)!

• "45. Abortion (that is, the directly intended termination of pregnancy before viability or the directly intended destruction of a viable fetus) is never permitted. Every procedure whose sole immediate effect is the termination of pregnancy before viability is an abortion, which, in its moral context, includes the interval between conception and implantation of the embryo. Catholic health care institutions are not to provide abortion services, even based upon the principle of material cooperation. In this context, Catholic health care institutions need to be concerned about the danger of scandal in any association with abortion providers" (Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services).

Dr. Smith's name was previously removed from St. Mary's online directory; it is less than three years since the Huffington Post reported the following: 

• "Dr. Stephen Smith of St. Mary's performed an ultrasound on an expecting mother and confirmed that the fetus had polycystic kidney disease, a fatal condition in infants. Smith recommended an abortion.... local abortion opponents publicized Smith's advice....any pledge to support Catholic doctrine on medical matters is broadly viewed as a formality to be agreed to and then summarily ignored."

How could it be believably argued that Saint Mary's is MERELY providing hospital privileges to providers of morally prohibited services under some sort of supposed duress? Isn't St. Mary's actually PROMOTING providers of services condemned by Church teaching?

 

Three Card Monte at Lourdes?

• "53. Direct sterilization of either men or women, whether permanent or temporary, is not permitted in a Catholic health care institution. Procedures that induce sterility are permitted when their direct effect is the cure or alleviation of a present and serious pathology and a simpler treatment is not available" (Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services).

In spite of the above prohibition,

• Dr. Sandra Hapenney "found that between 2007 and 2009, more than 20,000 women who gave birth at Catholic hospitals in New Jersey and six other states then had their 'tubes tied.' Eighty-five hospitals - almost half of those providing obstetric services - were doing sterilizations to end fertility.  Among these were...Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingboro.... Bishop David M. O'Connell of the Trenton Diocese said in an e-mail that he had talked to hospital administrators and had 'been assured that procedures at Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County were in compliance'" (Bishops decry Obama birth control plan, yet Catholic hospitals report sterilizations, Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/20/12). 
•  Dr. Hapenney also noted that "It is worth evaluating the practices of those health care systems included in the study which also operate in states outside the study area. The practices of such systems may be reflected in the other states in which they operate....Catholic Health East operates in eleven states....Four of its hospitals were studied and of them three reported V25.2 codes [i.e., sterilization codes]" (Appeal to Conscience Clauses in the Face of Divergent Practices among Catholic Hospitals).

In my opinion, the fact that NONE of Lourdes' gynecologists or obstetricians are found on a list of NFP-only physicians should have raised red flags for Bishop O'Connell. 

 

Do As I Say Not As I Do: Aren't "Catholic" Hospitals in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Diocese of Trenton Dishonoring the Memory of Philly Native Terri Schiavo?

• "24. In compliance with federal law, a Catholic health care institution will make available to patients information about their rights, under the laws of their state, to make an advance directive for their medical treatment. The institution, however, will not honor an advance directive that is contrary to Catholic teaching. If the advance directive conflicts with Catholic teaching, an explanation should be provided as to why the directive cannot be honored" (Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services).

Neither Saint Mary's Advanced Directives and Living Wills, nor Holy Redeemer's Making Your Own Health Care Decisions and Advance Directive Form, nor Mercy Health System's Vendor Compliance Program, nor Lourdes' Pre Admission testing, nor St. Francis' Advance Directives properly specify 

1. Catholic teaching with regard to nutrition and hydration, and
2. that health care services cannot honor advance directives (e.g., non-specific directives to forego nutrition and hydration) opposed to Catholic teaching (cf., Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers, Charter for Health Care Workers, 1995; Address of John Paul II to the Participants in the International Congress on "Life-Sustaining Treatments and Vegetative State: Scientific Advances and Ethical Dilemnas", 3/20/04; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Responses to Certain Questions of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Concerning Artificial Nutrition and Hydration, 8/1/07; USCCB, Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (5th ed), 11/17/09).

 

Are Philly's and Trenton's "Catholic" Hospitals Playing Loosey Goosey with "Conscience Protections"?

Dr. Hapenney prophetically noted that ""Catholic hospitals are in jeopardy of defending themselves against judicial challenges and could strip themselves of the ability to mount a political front to aid in defending the conscience clauses" (Appeal to Conscience Clauses in the Face of Divergent Practices among Catholic Hospitals).  If Catholic hospitals are not insisting upon absolute adherence to Catholic medical ethics, what hope do Catholic health care professionals in secular settings have of seeing their conscience rights protected?

 

Is It Ever OK to Play These Games?

When is it OK for Church leaders, ethicists, and/or pro life leaders - indeed for any faithful Catholic - to look away from the behavior of Catholic institutions?  Just how does the Pontifical Academy for Life explain "cooperation"?

The Pontifical Academy for Life goes on to remind us that "cooperation" does not only involve "what I have done" but it also involves "what I have failed to do":

As did my parents, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services voices concern about scandal to our Lord's "little ones":

 

Protecting Our Lord's "Little Ones": "prohibit that agency from using the name 'Catholic'"

Actions have always and will always speak louder than words!  Yet, the Holy Father's recent Motu Proprio also indicates that our own good example is NOT synonymous with sitting back and accepting that this is "just the way it is"! Those of us who are parents and grandparents have every right to expect authenticity in the institutions which call themselves "Catholic."

"Art. 11. – The diocesan Bishop is obliged, if necessary, to make known to the faithful the fact that the activity of a particular charitable agency is no longer being carried out in conformity with the Church’s teaching, and then to prohibit that agency from using the name 'Catholic' [emphasis added] and to take the necessary measures should personal responsibilities emerge....(Apostolic Letter Issued 'Motu Proprio' of the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI on the Services of Charity).