FREDERICTON, May 16, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In April, the CBC reported that the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton had taken bibles out of the tables next to patients’ beds citing the need to fight possible contamination.
After criticism from Christians and the Mayor of Fredericton who said it was a case of ‘political correctness’ run wild, the hospital has announced that the bibles will be restored to the bedside tables where patients also keep personal items. The bibles will be wrapped in plastic to prevent infectious diseases being spread between readers.
LifeSiteNews.com reported that there had been no word about other printed materials being removed. LifeSiteNews.com received an email from the hospital administration, however, saying that bibles were not singled out for removal. Jane Stafford, Regional Manager Infection Prevention & Control Services of River Valley Health wrote, “All the books that were kept in bedside table drawers were removed because they all are potentially being exposed to the bacteria and/or body fluids of multiple patients. Books removed were Phone Books, Patient Directories, and Bibles.”
Stafford said that the Bibles were “available to patients on request, and can remain at the bedside with the patient until discharge.”
Hospital spokesman, Shelley Fletcher, told the CBC that it was not anti-Christianity but admitted that it had been a mistake to remove the bibles without making other arrangements for patients. “There was a premature collection of those Bibles before we could identify if there were any options that would improve access to the Bible beyond asking for one,” Fletcher said.
The hospital policy has always been that bibles made available to patients are theirs to keep.
Canadian Hospital Bans Bedside Bibles for “Health Reasons”