Bishop Loverde to FOCA: Try me

[Michie]

From CNS:

Bishop Paul Loverde of the Roman Catholic diocese of Arlington, Va., said last week that if the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) should become law and a Catholic hospital in his diocese is forced to provide abortions, he would refuse to let the hospital comply, but he would also not close the institution.

Though there are no Catholic hospitals in his diocese, the bishop nevertheless was defiant: “I would say, ‘Yeah, I’m not going to close the hospital, you’re going to arrest me, go right ahead. You’ll have to drag me out, go right ahead. I’m not closing this hospital, we will not perform abortions, and you can go take a flying leap.’ ”
​

"Take a flying leap." The closest you'll get to hearing a bishop swear, I think. More:

[T]he Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Paprocki, auxiliary bishop of Chicago, pointed out that, if the government mandates that all health-care institutions perform abortions, it would not be enough for the Church merely to sell a hospital to another organization that would perform abortions.

“We would need to consider taking the drastic step of closing our Catholic hospitals entirely,” Paprocki said.
Cardinal Francis George, the head of the U.S. Catholic Conference, hinted at closures while answering questions at a news conference during the fall general assembly.
​

For as much flak as the bishops get for being more talk than action, this is one place where I don't think they're bluffing. Some local branches of Catholic Charities have already discontinued adoption services rather than be forced by state laws to adopt to gay couples; I can't see how the reaction would be any less drastic in the case of abortion. And from a pragmatic perspective, asMelinda Henneberger pointed out in Slate last week, the closure of one-third of the nation's hospitals wouldn't be exactly helpful in reforming our nation's health-care system. It's a warning that Obama and Congress should take very seriously.

http://insidecatholic.com/Joomla/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=Bishop-Loverde-to-FOCA-Try-me.html&Itemid=102

 

[Davidnic]

Many Bishops are talking about this. They will not perform abortions and if the FOCA is passed this will become a battleground. Ultimately I think they will wage a legal battle but if they lose they will close the hospitals rather than perform the abortions.

 

[Davidnic]

And since they make up almost 15% of our health care system and employ almost 600,000...the Catholic Hospital System has a lot of pull in this. It could be a huge fight.

 

[Fish and Bread]

The FOCA will not pass anytime soon as it's currently written. I am pretty confident about that, having been a close observer of politics and the political process for many years now.

Having said that, I agree with these two bishops that Catholic hospitals should either close, or continue to operate without performing abortions as an act of civil disobedience, should legislation attempting to mandate abortions in private hospitals be passed.

 

[faerieevaH]

Though I respect the bishop I think it is easier to write this when one does not have any Catholic hospitals in his diocese.

 

[benedictaoo]

And since they make up almost 15% of our health care system and employ almost 600,000...the Catholic Hospital System has a lot of pull in this. It could be a huge fight.

and think about this.... Bams and his universal health care. It will be difficult enough with the Catholic hospitals, take away 15% and there will be no shot at quality care. PPl will die waiting for even an appointment becuase there will be such a shortage of hospitals and doctors.

 

[AMDG]

Though I respect the bishop I think it is easier to write this when one does not have any Catholic hospitals in his diocese.

How so? We cannot support killing innocent babies and harming their mothers (abortion) whether or not there is a Catholic hospital in this brave Bishop's diocese or not. It's simple cause and effect (if the government says that we have to, the Bishop--in defence of Catholics' consciences, the unborn babies and their mothers--will have to be closed) nothing more.

 

[faerieevaH]

What I meant was that it's easy to say that you will close a hospital down if there is none that you have to close down. It means people losing their jobs, it means people who might not receive care that they otherwise would etc.
I am not saying it isn't the right decision to take IF any Catholic hospitals would be forced to perform abortions. THough in all reality it is a lot of strong language given over a possible future dilemma that this bishop wouldn't even face.

 

[benedictaoo]

It may be easy to say it because you won't have to close them yourself but so what? Catholic hospitals can not do abortions. It will be hard for those who will have to choose it but it is what they will have no choice but to do.

 

[faerieevaH]

Unless they will find a way, like they did in the UK, to get religious excemptions for example. It would be wiser to work on that, than to make blustering arguments over a worst case scenario.
While I aplaud the bishops intentions, I think his energies might be better spend in working with his colleges who would have to close hospitals to find a way to avoid having to do that without compromising their values.
We are talking about an act that, as it stands, has very little chance of passing through.

 

[Davidnic]

I would not be surprised if this was not a calculated move. The Bishops hinted at this at the Fall Assembly in broad terms. So soon after that a Bishop without a hospital in his diocese makes this statement. It causes less chaos than it would if it was made by a Bishop with 3-4 hospitals in his diocese. But it does get it out there directly that this is the road we are going down.

So this Bishop makes this statement to begin to lay the ground work for what they all may have to do and get it out there directly.

My point is...I would think there is a good chance that this statement reflects the heart of the Bishops from the Fall Assembly. Enough indications from that meeting, in regard to this issue, would make that a good bet.

Bottom line...health care plans will not get done without the Catholic Hospitals. They are willing to work with Obama on that. But if he signs the FOCA...he looses that.

Bishop checks "king". Now, does the "king" fall back to a new position on the board to protect the health care plan wanted by the majority of his constituents or does he sacrifice that piece?

Truth be told...the answer will tell a great deal. If he chooses the FOCA at the cost of the health care issue then that will give an indication of what his heart wants more.

Not to over blow the Chess analogies but this is a threat to a vital piece of what he promised to the mainstream. Does he sacrifice that for the narrow special interest of pro-choice? If so...his intentions in relation to being compatible with Catholic Social Justice will then be obvious.

 

[Davidnic]

Unless they will find a way, like they did in the UK, to get religious excemptions for example. It would be wiser to work on that, than to make blustering arguments over a worst case scenario.
While I aplaud the bishops intentions, I think his energies might be better spend in working with his colleges who would have to close hospitals to find a way to avoid having to do that without compromising their values.
We are talking about an act that, as it stands, has very little chance of passing through.

That would seem a better idea. But it has a snag.

The problem is that with the FOCA there can be no exceptions. It is written for full deregulation that codifies Roe vs Wade as de facto law of the land. And the current form has Obama's full support.

I see your point...I think a good precedent would be to look to what the Church did with their adoption agencies in Boston and later San Fran.

 

[faerieevaH]

That's one of the reasons why I said FOCA as it is now will not pass, if there is the right kind of objection against it.

I am not that familiar with what they did there, but if I just read the article, it basically closed the adoption services instead of fighting for a religious exemption?

 

[Davidnic]

That's one of the reasons why I said FOCA as it is now will not pass, if there is the right kind of objection against it.

I am not that familiar with what they did there, but if I just read the article, it basically closed the adoption services instead of fighting for a religious exemption?

They fought and were denied. In San Fran particularity it was a bad scene.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

During the Clinton administration, they threatened Hospitals which provided health care to women, but did not provide abortions, that they would not be reimbursed for services on all Medicaid and Medicare patients. Of course this meant the elderly, who are the largest group that hospitals service.

No hospital could survive, without being payed for services to such a large client base.

Jim

 

[MoNiCa4316]

I hope and pray the bishops would stay strong and support the position of the Church

 

[InstaurareOmnia]

I hope and pray the bishops would stay strong and support the position of the Church

That is exactly my thoughts on the issue. Let's hope some bishops who have a Catholic hospital in their dioceses will make statements like Bishop Loverde's.

 

[MrStain]

I am so glad this holy man is my Bishop. Everytime I've heard him speak he has had such wise words to share and he always mentions the plight of the unborn.

Thank you, Bishop Loverde!

 

[Katholish]

I am certainly glad that my bishop has taken such a public stance. It is obviously harder to actually have to do the right thing than it is to say the right thing, but hopefully the courage my bishop has shown in saying the right thing will encourage other bishops (who actually do have hospitals) to do the right thing.

 

[Fantine]

There is a Catholic Health Care Association. The president of the Catholic Health Care Association, a Daughter of Charity, says that the Obama administration has been receptive to their concerns.

Bishop Loverde is not directly involved with health care. He even admits that there are no Catholic hospitals in his diocese. He is exactly the kind of person that the President of the Catholic Health Care Association is concerned about, grandstanding and going off the deep end about something he knows little about, rather than leaving it to the professionals who work with it every day.

It sounds as if the Diocese of Arlington is doing a very good job in a wide variety of ministries, and while it is good for the bishop to keep abreast of what's going on with FOCA, I think that at the moment the Catholic Health Association is doing the right thing, and that outside voices are just a noisy distraction.

In order for the CHA's negotiations to be effective, the CHA must have some credibility and authority.