"The end of Catholic Healthcare in Boston": conscience protection of healthcare workers much more likely to end!- critics

(Catholic Watchdog South Africa)

Article by Marc Aupiais

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"The end of Catholic Healthcare in Boston": conscience protection of healthcare workers much more likely to end!- say some sources

The Coalition to Save Catholic Health Care, is sending a letter to the pope, in a last ditch attempt, to prevent the sale of what is reportedly the last 6 Catholic Hospitals in Boston, USA: the Caritas Christi hospital system.

Previously Catholic Action League, had lead the charge against yet another sale of church controlled assets, stating that it would end 150 years of Catholic healthcare in Boston, among other concerns. The suggested buyer is secular capitalist firm: Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. of New York, named after the three headed dog, which guards Hades in Greek mythology. There is a contractual clause which demands the retaining of Catholic identity, but this can be done away with should the investment firm decide to pay about 3 percent (%) of the asking price to an approved archdiocesan charity, that is, seemingly if such Catholic identity becomes "unlawful or materially burdensome".

Some of the more outspoken criticisms of the clause come from the Catholic pro-life:

"But we already know that adherence to Catholic moral standards is unlawful for any hospital that participates in the Massachusetts universal health care insurance program (the model for ObamaCare), because the program requires participants to provide abortion, contraception, sterilization, etc. In fact, the archdiocese’s inability to participate in the Massachusetts program is precisely the reason why Caritas is unprofitable and is being sold. So the termination of Catholic standards is inevitable. Why the charade to mislead the public that Caritas will remain Catholic?"

Judie Brown writing for American Life League (Catholic; Independent; American; pro-life) article hosted on Catholic Exchange (Catholic; Independent; American)

12 / 07 | July / 2010

The choice to sell the hospitals to the second major buyer, comes as the hospitals, faced bankruptcy, after refusing to enter a state (not federal) government subsidized system in the state of Massachusetts, in the United States of America, which reportedly would have demanded that they provide contraception, abortion, and sterilization as services.

Critics of the deal, cite the fact that free services to the poor may suffer, as well as services to the mentally ill, and that conscience protection of health workers, and ethical trustworthiness of each hospital may be done away with. A previous deal in attempts to save the hospitals, was walked away from, when it became clear in the opinion of officials that the Catholic ethics of the hospitals would be severely compromised.


Caritas director James Karam, has admitted that he cannot guarantee the investment firm will maintain what would seem to be the archdiocese of Boston's last remaining Catholic hospitals. If this deal does not go through, it is seen as likely, by the archdiocese, that the debt ridden hospitals will soon be forced to close. Their high asking price, likely is due to state and federal investments in healthcare making hospitals more attractive to investors.





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