Politics
Thursday March 5, 2009
Ontario Bishop Says 'Early Induction' Policy at Catholic Hospital Under Vatican Review
Bishop says he may act before Rome review complete
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
By John-Henry Westen
LONDON, ON, March 5, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) 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. Today LifeSiteNews.com spoke with London Bishop Ronald Fabbro regarding the protocol at St. Joseph's Health Centre, which permits early inductions for such babies.
Bishop Fabbro informed LSN that he has launched an investigation into the practice at the hospital, in order to discover whether the guidelines are in synch with Catholic teaching. The matter has also been referred to the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith.
In addition, the Bishop said that while the review process might take quite some time, he "wasn't necessarily going to wait until all of this work had been done before I would be in a position to make changes to the guidelines the hospital is following now."
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. LSN previously established with the ethical overseer of the procedure, Fr. Michael Prieur, that the hospital does not provide such care for children with lethal fetal anomalies once induced. Therefore, the Catholic hospital was, according to the theologians and medical experts LSN consulted, directly causing the death of these children via "early induction."
The guidelines at St. Joseph's contravened statements on the issue by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops as well as the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC). The NCGC position states: "Induction of labor before term performed simply for the reason that the child has a lethal anomaly is direct abortion."
Children with 'lethal fetal anomalies' are severely disabled, so severely that they will likely die within a few months, days or even hours of being born. However, the Catholics Church's stand on the sanctity of life is such that no matter how disabled the person, they retain the right to life, regardless of how brief that life might be.
All those who commented to LifeSiteNews.com in opposition to the guidelines and practices at St. Joseph's hospital said they did not believe it morally wrong to perform a life-saving treatment on a pregnant woman, even if that treatment would unintentionally cause the death of the unborn child she carries. However, the hospital admits to performing early inductions for psychological reasons of the mother, which was specifically condemned in the US Conference of Bishops document on the matter.
The issue of the "early inductions" taking place at the hospital hit the mainstream media two weeks ago when the National Post published a full-page article whitewashing the protocols, portraying them as being fully in line with Catholic teaching, a position taken by the principal author of the guidelines Fr. Michael Prieur.
See related coverage:
LifeSiteNews Fully Stands by Original Report in Wake of National Post Whitewash of St. Joseph's Hospital "Early Inductions"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09022402.html
LSN EXCLUSIVE: Mother "Pressured" to Terminate Pregnancy of Trisomy 18 Child at Catholic Hospital
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09022507.html
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- "Manhattan Declaration" Embodies U.S. Christian Pushback against Abortion, Same-Sex "Marriage"
- Hoffman Loses Final Tally of NY-23 Race; Alleges ACORN Tampering and Fraud
- Abortion Activist Judge Hamilton Confirmed with Help of Ten Republican Senators
- CDC Reverses Gardasil Vaccine Requirement for Immigrants
- Germany Faces Economic Downturn with Plummeting Birth Rate and Aging Population
- CCHD in Archdiocese of Chicago Says it is Working to Fix Problems
- Rejection of Washington DC Marriage Referendum Challenged With Legal Suit
- Obama-Supporting Homosexual Activist to Out Sexually Involved Priests Unless they Support Gay 'Marriage
- Austrian Catholic Bishops Issue Bland Response to Govt's Homosexual Partnership Bill
- Interim Report on Catholic Sex-Abuse Says "Homosexual Identity" Not a Predictor of Sex Abuse
- LSN NewsBytes - US Health Care Reform
- LSN NewsBytes - Climate Change/Global Warming
- Pro-Abortion Lawmakers Shower Praise on Senate Bill's Phony Abortion Compromise
- 59 Bishops Contributed Financially to Maine Bishop's Effort to Oppose Maine Same-Sex "Marriage" Law
Most Read this Week
- Largest U.S. Homosexual Publisher Shuts Down, Closing Major Gay Newspapers
- Italian Mayors Order Crufixes Put in Classrooms in Revolt against European Court Ruling
- EWTN's Arroyo Hosts Reform CCHD Reps Who Reveal Shocking Evidence Against USCCB Anti-Poverty Arm
- Nat'l Organization for Marriage Responds to Miss California "Sex Tape" Scandal
- Obama Evades Questioning on Stupak Amendment in FOX Interview
- French Judge Finds Hospital Guilty of "Unreasonable Obstinacy" in Saving Newborn's Life
- EU Leaders to Choose President today in Secret "Soviet Style" Meetings
- Hoffman "Unconcedes" Battle for NY-23: Recount Provides Hope for "Miracle" Victory
- CCHD Responds to Reform Movement
- White House Advisor Indicates Obama Will Work to Abolish Pro-Life Health Amendment
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.