Posted on 12/03/2013 1:28:29 PM PST by NYer
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a sweeping federal lawsuit against the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops over its ethical guidelines for Roman Catholic hospitals, arguing the directives were to blame for negligent care of a pregnant woman who went into early labor and whose baby died within hours.
The ACLU alleges the bishops were negligent because their religious directives prevented Tamesha Means from being told that continuing her pregnancy posed grave risks to her health and her child was not likely to survive. She was treated at Mercy Health Muskegon, a Catholic hospital in Michigan.
"It's not just about one woman," said Kary Moss, executive director of the Michigan ACLU. "It's about a nationwide policy created by nonmedical professionals putting patients in harms' way."
The lawsuit comes amid a wave of mergers between Catholic and secular hospital systems throughout the United States, raising questions about how much religious identity the hospitals will retain and whether they will provide medical services that conflict with church teaching. Advocates for abortion rights and others fear the mergers will limit access to a full range of medical care for women. About 13 percent of U.S. hospitals are Catholic.
Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the bishops' conference in Washington, said it hadn't been officially notified of the lawsuit and couldn't comment until it received the complaint. Neither Mercy Health Muskegon nor its corporate parent, Trinity Health in Livonia, would comment Monday. Earlier this year, Trinity Health and Catholic Health East completed a merger, combining more than 80 nonprofit hospitals across about 21 states.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
Catholic ping!
You CANNOT kill the baby to save the “mother”. Period.
So they are suing religious people for being religious?
So the baby died.....because she didn’t have an abortion.
Abortion generally is not medical care. Catholic hospitals will sometimes transfer patients when there is a medical reason for a direct abortion. No hospital should be forced to perform procedures which they have a religious and ethical objection to.
ACLU
Anti Christian Lawyers Union
“It’s not just about one woman,” said Kary Moss, executive director of the Michigan ACLU. “It’s about a nationwide policy created by nonmedical professionals putting patients in harms’ way.”
Like no one ever died from an abortion, a procedure legalized by non medical people..............
Hey ACLU. STFU and leave American alone.. You are part of the problem not the solution...
...so the ACLU is arguing that the 1st Amendment is unConstitutional?
So an organization that is responsible for insuring that millions of babies have been murdered by abortion is suing because a baby died in a hospital???
What a bunch of assclowns.......
Given the decadent perspective of the Federal courts, and the fact that the vile Obama has appointed his crass ilk to the judiciary, this lawsuit has a good chance of succeeding.Decent people of conscience will have to do some serious thinking and reflection.
It has happened in non-Catholic/non-religious hospitals in the past.The lawsuit is baseless, has no merit, is frivolous and narrow with a false exclusative disciminatory purpose and agenda. All hospitals should be sued in order for it to be a universal inclusive litigation.
I have a hunch that the mother had received no prior prenatal care. That the infections were already in progress when she went into labor. That once the labor broke labor was already commencing. Which means inducing labor would only have meant a more intense labor. The child was not viable no matter what course of action the physicians took.
I’m not a Catholic, but on this issue we stand united.
The ACLU is a cancer on our society.
Cardinal Dolan will be shocked—SHOCKED!—by this revelation that the ACLU is pro-abortion!
Wasn't Obamacare developed by "nonmedical" professionals thereby "putting patients in harms' way"?
It would be unfortunate if anything were to happen to them.
Not that I am advocating violence, grant you, just that I am observing that Christians are running out of cheeks to turn.
This happened in 2010 and the Means wants us to believe she was sent home in great pain after going to the ER in crisis during pregnancy at a Catholic hospital?
Bitch is lying.
I wonder if he gets a Christmas card from them. He’s certainly been a good friend.
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