Morning Roundup: Catholic Hospital Deadline Day

Decision day for St. Joseph's hospital in Phoenix, Arizona; the American Life League is looking for vasectomies; in they said what? news, the repeal of DADT is "spiritual AIDS" and the fight over contraception in the Philippines will be "bloody."

It’s decision day for St. Joseph’s hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. The hospital is being asked to “follow Church teaching” and never perform another abortion, even if it means women die. The American Life League is looking into other hospitals for cases of – oh no – vasectomies. And in they said what? news, the repeal of DADT is “spiritual AIDS” and the fight over contraception in the Philippines will be “bloody.”

  • The American Life League is calling for rosaries to roll at Catholic Healthcare West, after uncovering what they feel is un-Catholic activity. In a prepared “dossier” (they really used that word) ALL lists their complaints; mainly that the hospital system refers, provides, or grants money to organizations that perform sterilization, abortion and contraception. Catholic Healthcare West is the same organization that operates St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix, AZ, where Bishop Olmstead is threatening to rescind the hospital’s Catholic affiliation. ALL’s ultimate goal is to ensure that a Catholic hospital – even one that is tasked to serve an entire community– never performs an abortion, even if it means women die. Thanks ALL, that sure is pro-life of you.  
  • Speaking of St. Joe’s in Phoenix, today is the decision time for the hospital. Bishop Olmstead extended the deadline to December 21 for the “no abortions ever, even if she’s dying” promise that he wants from the hospital.  If they don’t agree, he says he’ll pull their Catholic affiliation, meaning some affiliated services, such as Mass, won’t be held in the building. The controversy stems from an abortion performed on a woman to save her life, which also led to the excommunication of a nun who approved the procedure.
  • A right-wing online publication this to say on the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell: “I’m afraid Congress has just infected our military with ‘spiritual AIDS,’ if you will, by repealing DADT — much to the delight of the homosexualists in our midst.” There are just so many things wrong with that sentence, I don’t even know where to start my indignation.
  • The President of the Philippine Senate recently said that the reproductive health bill making its way through the Congress will be “bloody.”

Dec 20