Bishop investigates Catholic hospital for induced labor abortions
About St. Joseph’s Health Centre in London, Ontario, LifeSiteNews.com reported March 5:
A LifeSiteNews.com exposé on the practice of “early inductions” on babies with lethal fetal anomaly at a Catholic hospital has resulted in the matter being reviewed by the Vatican….
London Bishop Ronald Fabbro… informed LSN that he has launched an investigation…. The matter has also been referred to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith.
The procedure – “early induction” of unborn babies with “lethal fetal anomalies” – refers to artificially causing the child to be born prematurely at 21-24 weeks – earlier than any child could survive without extreme medical intervention….
In 2004 I began reporting (read here and here) on 2 US Catholic hospital systems committing induced labor abortion: Providence on the west coast and Loyola in Chicago.
Loyola sent me its policy, which stated…
Early induction is performed at LUHS only if the fetus has reached 24 weeks of gestation – currently accepted as the stage of viability – which is consistent with the Ethical and Religious Directives for Health Care Services….
These hospitals rationalize they’re consistent with Catholic teaching by waiting until after a baby is viable to abort by induction, since Catholic teaching allows for induction of labor. This is not only crazy but dangerous for any hospital in America if the Born Alive Infants Protection Act is ever enforced.
St. Joseph’s Hospital sent LSN its induced labor abortion policy, which it calls Early Induction for Lethal Fetal Anomalies.
I don’t know how it can be considered for “the total good of the… child” to kill him.
I’m encouraged that the Vatican is finally being asked to address this insanity. It would be quite something if it handed down a mandate to all Catholic hospitals to stop induced labor abortions, because I think many more are involved in this heinous procedure than we know.
[HT: Rich Collier]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
One fine Catholic prolife activist (Joe Scheidler) once asked about the ceremony used to install a Bishop: “Is this where they remove his backbone?”
Hopefully, some of them are growing new ones….
Jill…I think you hit the nail on the head when you said “I’m encouraged that the Vatican is finally being asked to address this insanity.” That’s exactly what this is! Insanity. The pro-deathers are all insane. How else could one be so gung ho about killing babies? I personally won’t ever understand.
Doyle,
When I was reading this, I was thinking the same thing when I was reading this. It’s time for all the Bishops to grow spines.
This is what happens when “Kennedy Catholics” are put in charge of Catholic hospitals.
Ranks right up there with my prediction that “abortion” will be renamed “Stem-Cell Harvesting” just as the BO administration and the media drop “embryonic” from all discussions of stem cell research, and “illegal” from all immigration discussion.
It is all part and partial of liberal “new speak.”
“It is all part and partial of liberal “new speak.” ”
That is a good point, Mark. I very often say that the pro-choice movement is built on a solid foundation of semantics, and the ESCR crowd appears to have a taken a page out of that book. It did work quite well, so I can’t say I blame them.
It is hard to take the Catholic church seriously until and unless they do clean house and demand that those who claim Catholicism follow it. They need to start excommunicating people or something. Why the Pelosis and Kennedys of the world want to belong to an anti-choice religion is beyond me anyway, and why the Church puts up with so many people who claim to be Catholic but have no moral standard is beyond me as well.
I would think that this is why some churches actually have a system of leadership and hierarchy, to prevent dissidents from representing themselves as speaking for the Church.
My first child was born at this hospital years ago. I use to be acquainted with Nikki Cooke through homeschooling (but don’t see her much anymore). Nikki and her husband Brian are wonderful devout Catholics and it is a shame that they had to go through what they did. St. Joe’s hospital should have been supporting this couple through their trial and not offering them infanticide under the guise of compassion.
A friend told me on Sunday that the local bishop may already be in the process of acting on this situation. Fr. Prieur should be removed from his position.
I think the following sums up quite adequately the consequences of this young couple’s decision to let God decide the issue:
The silver lining to the story is that the couple’s faith was strengthened by the experience.
“By choosing life, Brian and I grew closer in our relationship with each other, with our children and especially with God,” she explained. “Had we chosen the ‘death of our child’, our lives would have been nothing but bitter turmoil not to mention, depression and needing a significant amount of counselling afterwards. God truly blessed us and continues to do so. We thank God that He entrusted to us the care of this little soul who would be with Him for Eternity.”
The couple now have seven living children.
and a little soul in Heaven praying for them.
And yes, YCW, it is hard to take the Catholic church seriously. We need to act on our teachings.
You’d think, a Catholic hospital, wouldn’t excuse this kind of tom fullery!
If someone performs abortions, in the Catholic church as I understand it, they can be excomunicated.