Catholic Ethics

Following the revision in 2001, there are now a total of 72 Directives, which explicitly forbid Catholic facilities from providing several reproductive healthcare procedures, regardless of the religious beliefs of the patient seeking services or that of the medical professional providing them. Under the Directives, the reality for women who find themselves at a Catholic hospital means they have:

• No access to abortion—even in cases of rape or incest (Directive 45)

• No access to in-vitro fertilization (Directives 37, 38, 39)

• No access to contraception (Directive 52)

• No treatment for ectopic pregnancy (Directive 48)

• None of the benefits of embryonic stem-cell research (Directive 51)

• No respect for their advance medical directives (Directive 24)

The sole exception to the ban on contraception falls under Directive 36, which only allows the provision of emergency contraception (EC) in cases of sexual assault when it can be proven that pregnancy has not occurred. This creates an unnecessary restriction, as EC does not interfere with the implantation of a fertilized egg. Evidence also suggests that many Catholic hospitals rarely provide EC even under the circumstances approved by the Directives. A 2006 study found that “35 percent of Catholic hospitals did not provide EC under any circumstances, while 47 percent refused to provide referrals to hospitals that did. Of those that provided referrals, only 47 percent of these led to a hospital that actually provided EC” (Fogel, et al, 2014).

In such cases, there are several issues at hand; first being, “termination of life”. Moreover, the parameters of “termination” based on scientific facts. Denial of treatment is another is faced at an Catholic medical facility. In conjunction with denial of treatment, patients should be informed about what is found regarding treatment or why treatment cannot be given. Then, there’s the aspect of religion. Is it Christian-like to avoid or disobey specific demands...