OSV construcively calls attention to unethical practices in Texas hospitals

In its July 13th issue, Our Sunday Visitor magazine has undertaken a full court press to make it known that all six Texas Catholic hospital systems have been performing thousands (9,684) of unethical direct sterilizations. You can read the article by Ann Carey on the OSV website.

OSV's reporting originates from a group of whistle-blowers operating under the cover of anonymity to safeguard their jobs. The lapses of ethics documented in Texas, however, are most probably not limited to just that state. The report is quite comprehensive and makes it clear (as I understand it) that these sterilizations were performed with a contraceptive goal.

The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERDs), issued by the U.S. Bishops, clearly prohibits these types of sterilizations being offered by Catholic hospitals (#53 & #70). As a side note and to put it simply: what is prohibited is direct sterilization for contraceptive ends as opposed to indirect sterilization where sterilization results from a separate procedure.

What is not so clear, and remains a problem, is the phenomenon of Catholic hospitals merging and sharing resources with non-Catholic hospitals. In such situations, the ERDs are often ignored. Though not all these sterilizations can simply be blamed on institutional haziness. Part of the problem, an interviewed OB-GYN says, is an "excessive focus on the bottom line."

In an accompanying interview with Dr. John Hass, President of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, he stresses that oftentimes these lapses in following the ERDs are a result of ignorance and confusion. Well, OSV has done us all a wonderful service in exposing a serious problem, which is the first step to addressing it systematically. Hospital audits would be a logical next step, and those are happening in some cases.

Realistically, refusing to offer sterilizations simply will not sink the average Catholic hospital financially. If anything, it allows them to honestly go to Catholic donors and tell them they are fully in line with the Church's teaching on health care policies. There should also be little doubt that offering these direct sterilizations undermines the identity and mission of a Catholic hospital. Sterilizations, of the procedures prohibited by the Catholic comprehensive vision of human dignity, is the easiest one to hide, and it should not be surprising that it has often slipped through the cracks in the past. Well, hopefully no more.

CWNews, CNA and CNS, I'm proud to see, have all reported on OSV's findings, helping spread awareness.

You can read the original WikiLeaks report here. I'm also personally thankful to editor John Norton who notified me of OSV's reporting and provided me with a copy of the issue for my reporting.

In situations where ignorance and confusion are the main obstacles that have to be overcome, a prudential publication of information (as OSV has done) is the best path to a speedy solution. May that hold true now.