The instructions.

Prenatal diagnosis is not permitted when undertaken with the intention of aborting an unborn child with a serious defect.

No matter what the defect. No matter how unable the parents are to deal with an infant born to suffer and then die. No matter how much futile suffering is in store for the infant.

Those evil bastards.

52. Catholic health institutions may not promote or condone contraceptive practices but should provide, for married couples and the medical staff who counsel them, instruction both about the Church’s teaching on responsible parenthood and in methods of natural family planning.

53. Direct sterilization of either men or women, whether permanent or temporary, is not permitted in a Catholic health care

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)

Now. Let’s be thorough about this. I need to understand the Ethical and Religious Directives – commonly and folksily called ERD – and just exactly how they function, and why. I need to know if and how and why anyone relevant (like, hospital administrations, and medical practitioners) considers them binding. I also need to know what they say.

So let’s take a look.

Page 4.

The Directives have been refined through an extensive process of consultation with bishops, theologians, sponsors, administrators, physicians, and other health care providers.

That’s ridiculous, and dangerous. Bishops and theologians have nothing relevant to say.

But of course the whole thing comes from bishops. The wretched thing is on the USCCB website. It’s theirs. It’s … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)

More detail, from the full report by the National Women’s Law Center.

the Study revealed four serious lapses in care resulting from religious restrictions:

• Doctors performed medically unnecessary tests, resulting in delays in care and additional medical complications for patients. These tests were done solely to address hospital administrators’ concerns that the treatment complied with religious doctrine.
• Doctors transferred patients with pregnancy complications because their hospitals’ religious affiliation prohibited them from promptly providing the medically-indicated standard of care.
• Hospital administrators interfered with doctors’ ability to promptly provide patients with the standard of care.
• Hospital administrators interfered with doctors’ ability to provide patients with relevant information about their treatment options.

The religious administration of these hospitals is over-ruling the technical decision … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)

I’ve been re-reading the National Women’s Law Center report on religious restrictions at hospitals that put women’s lives at risk, from January 2011. It’s about what happened to Savita Halappanavar last month and what happens to a significant (but unknown) number of women because of religious bullshit surrounding the termination of pregnancy. It’s about hospitals substituting religious bullshit for technical medical understanding and experience.

The summary is Women’s Health and Lives at Risk Due to Religious Restrictions at Hospitals, New Center Study Shows.

What it tells us.

The Center’s report, Below the Radar: Ibis Study Shows that Health Care Providers’ Religious Refusals Can Endanger Pregnant Women’s Lives and Health, demonstrates that certain hospitals, because of their religious beliefs,

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)

The US Catholic bishops are chastened by their failure to impose their religious views on the electorate last week, and Cardinal Timothy Dolan lectured them yesterday on what to do about it.

To think harder and realize that they should pay more attention to human well-being as opposed to pretended goddy mandates?

Don’t be silly.

After sweeping setbacks to the hierarchy’s agenda on Election Day, New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan on Monday (Nov. 12) told U.S. Catholic bishops that they must now examine their own failings, confess their sins and reform themselves if they hope to impact the wider culture.

“That’s the way we become channels of a truly effective transformation of the world, through our own witness of a

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)