The assertive powers of the Catholic Church can be intimidating and controversial. Moral ethics changed since the 1950s are still applicable today.
Australia has a sizeable Catholic population but it is probably less controversial. My friends who follow the Catholic faith are more open minded and less dogmatic about grey areas in real life issues.
Medical personnel, ethicists and senior administrators at the hospital have unanimously assessed that an abortion was necessary and justifiable to save the life of the mother. The fate of the Sister who dedicated her life serving her parishioners and patients evoke disconcerthing thoughts.
Excerpts from the media :
Quote : [ The pregnant woman and her family were also consulted and agreed that a termination would be the best option. Sister Margaret's role was apparently to give the theological perspective.A dogmatically pro-life figure, Olmsted had made himself something of a hero to the US anti-abortion movement.
Historian Jacob M Appel described Olmsted as having a "reputation as a particularly cold-hearted and intransigent figure" who had "gained notoriety for refusing communion to a 10-year-old autistic child who could not swallow". He added, "Thanks to men like Mr Olmsted, obtaining obstetric care at a Catholic hospital has become a dangerous game of Russian roulette."
The Reverend Thomas Doyle, a canon lawyer, said last week that the bishop "clearly had other alternatives than to declare her excommunicated". Doyle said that Olmsted could have shown her some mercy. He added that this case highlighted a "gross inequity" in how the Church chose to handle scandal.
McBride's support in the community is perhaps to be expected. An Irish-American, she achieved a bachelor's degree in Nursing and a Master's in Public Administration from the University of San Francisco, in addition to her religious training.
As a senior hospital administrator in a part of the US with more than its share of illegal immigrants, she was no stranger to making difficult, controversial choices. According to the New York Times, St Joseph's focuses on keeping down the cost of the uninsured and repatriates about eight uninsured patients per month. ]
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/irish-nun-pays-ultimate-price-for-defying-bishop-in-abortion-case-2200425.html
Quote : [ The Bishop of Phoenix has announced that a Catholic nun and administrator of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix has "automatically excommunicated herself" by approving an abortion on a woman who was 11-weeks pregnant, and whose life hospital officials allege they were trying to save.
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted said the excommunications apply to all involved, and lambasted the hospital's defense. ]
http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=36604
Quote : [ One of the doctors said that four young women who decided to carry their pregnancies to term (despite my recommendation for termination); they all died either during pregnancy, delivery or within the postpartum period.
Sister Margaret was forced to choose between saving the life of a young mother of four and her faith.
- Robyn J. BarstScarsdale, N.Y., May 28, 2010
The writer is professor emeritus at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. ]
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/opinion/lweb30kristof.html
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