Texas Catholic hospitals challenge bishop: announce plans to continue sterilizations

[Holly3278]

Tyler, Texas, Dec. 15, 2008 (CWNews.com) - A Catholic hospital system in the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, has announced that it will continue to perform sterilizations despite an explicit order from the local bishop to stop the procedures.

Trinity Mother Frances Health Care System, which had earlier responded to criticism by Bishop Alvaro Corrado by saying that its hospitals had performed sterilizations under a “good-faith interpretation” of Church teachings, has now made a stronger claim: “Medically necessary indirect sterilizations are permitted,” the Trinity Mother Frances argued, in cases of medical necessity.

catholicculture.org/news/features/index.cfm?recnum=60259

This just sickens me. They really need to obey the bishop and stop doing this.

That said, you must be registered at CatholicCulture.org in order to view the article. Registration is free.

 

[SamDash]

I honestly found the article unclear. I wish it had offered more detail.

If a woman has, for example, a hysterectomy to remove uterine cancer, sterility will result. This certainly does not present any moral dilemma, does it?

Trinity Mother Frances Health Care System, which had earlier responded to criticism by Bishop Alvaro Corrado by saying that its hospitals had performed sterilizations under a “good-faith interpretation” of Church teachings, has now made **a stronger claim: “Medically necessary indirect sterilizations are permitted,” the Trinity Mother Frances argued, in cases of medical necessity. **

Stronger statement? I can see nothing controversial about that statement at all.

“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.”

I have never been accused of being a “liberal” Catholic, but I just can’t see what’s going on in this story. We need more information.

 

[Holly3278]

Here is another article. Perhaps it offers more detail:

speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=33&idsub=134&id=17196&t=Catholic+bishop+and+hospital+dispute+sterilization

That said, I am pretty sure that a hysterectomy to remove a cancerous uterus or something would not pose a moral problem.

 

[mdgspencer]

This is very dramatic. If the sisters running the hospital are not able to show that they are actually innocent, I wonder what sanctions the Church can make as a result. Since this is all occuring out in the open, some strong steps would have to be taken or such directives in the health field may be ignored much more widely.

 

[SamDash]

Here is another article. Perhaps it offers more detail:

speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=33&idsub=134&id=17196&t=Catholic+bishop+and+hospital+dispute+sterilization

That said, I am pretty sure that a hysterectomy to remove a cancerous uterus or something would not pose a moral problem.

Yes, thank you. That article is MUCH clearer.

Tubal ligation is obviously another matter, and no one can seriously state one is not a “direct sterilization,” as opposed to a necessary medical procedure that, unfortunately, results in sterilization as a secondary effect.

If there are characters who will not obey their bishop, then they should simply be fired and replaced with people who will.

 

[KathleenElsie]

Here is another article. Perhaps it offers more detail:

speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=33&idsub=134&id=17196&t=Catholic+bishop+and+hospital+dispute+sterilization

That said, I am pretty sure that a hysterectomy to remove a cancerous uterus or something would not pose a moral problem.

Hysterestomy for medical reasons does not fall into the voluntary sterilization defination. In my case they took only the uterus because of cancer and disease issues.

 

[timotheos]

“Procedures that induce sterility are premitted when their direct effect is the cure or alleviation of a present and serious pathology and a simpler treatment is not available.” That paragraph in the US bishops’ document includes a footnote citing a Vatican instruction which stipulates that tubal ligations-- the type of sterilizations performed at Trinity Mother Frances– cannot be justified.

I am not aware that the tubal ligation procedure is performed for any reason other than intentional direct sterilization.

I would bet dollars to doughnuts that this is what is happening at TMF, and the rest is just sleight-of-hand rhetoric. As I understand, the Bishop has the authority to remove the hospital’s “Catholic” designation, if they do not comply.

-Tim

 

[Terry_from_Ypsi]

In the Acts of the Apostles, Annanias and Saphira (sp?) both died because they “lied” to the Holy Spirit. Do you wonder why God has not dealt in a similar manner with some present-day Roman Catholics ?

Regards

 

[Holly3278]

Hysterestomy for medical reasons does not fall into the voluntary sterilization defination. In my case they took only the uterus becausecancer and disease issues.

Oh believe me KathleenElsie, I am not condemning anyone who has to get a hysterectomy because of medical reasons. I am also not condemning anyone who has to have a procedure done that results in permanent sterilization because of medical reasons. I would never condemn someone for getting proper medical treatment even if it does result in sterilization. My mom, who is a non-Catholic, had to get a hysterectomy due to having pre-cancerous cells on/in her reproductive organs. I do not condemn her either. What I do condemn is when someone gets a direct sterilization done for non-medical reasons.

 

[Letchitsa1]

I am not aware that the tubal ligation procedure is performed for any reason other than intentional direct sterilization.

I would bet dollars to doughnuts that this is what is happening at TMF, and the rest is just sleight-of-hand rhetoric. As I understand, the Bishop has the authority to remove the hospital’s “Catholic” designation, if they do not comply.

-Tim

That is what I was trying to find - if tubal ligation had any other medical reasons besides direct birth control. My search turned up nothing other than direct birth control, so if there are other reasons for a tubal ligation - they aren’t readily available.

That said - yes, the bishop does have the authority to remove their “Catholic” title if he sees fit to do so. In this situation - I’d be surprised if this doesn’t eventually happen because it looks like it is very quickly heading down that path, with neither side being willing to budge, though at least if the bishop is unwilling to budge - that may be a good thing.

 

[mdgspencer]

Assuming that these sisters are not innocent of this charge, the bishop can do more than simply say they cannot call their hospital Catholic. The bishop can, for example, order the order out of his diocese, which lies in his authority. He also could appeal to the Vatican, I am sure, to make sanctions which lie in its power.