Catholic Physicians Guild Supports Bishop Olmsted's Rebuke of Nun over Abortion

By Kathleen Gilbert
5/19/2010
LifeSiteNews (www.lifesitenews.com)

Guild stands by the church's teaching that is guided by the Holy Spirit in ordering life toward truth and love

The Catholic Physicians Guild of Phoenix has come out in support of Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, who expressed outrage that a nun administrator at a Catholic hospital in his diocese permitted a direct abortion. The bishop had said that those who were formally involved in the abortion were automatically excommunicated from the Catholic Church.

(Pictured: Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted) 'An action which is in and of itself wrong, in that it lacks goodness as discerned by the light of human reason, is never justified by circumstances or intended end. Such is the case of abortion. A medical procedure, where the direct intention is the termination of pregnancy, is an abortion.' (William H. Brophy, M.D)

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PHOENIX, Arizona (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Catholic Physicians Guild of Phoenix has come out in support of Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, who expressed outrage that a nun administrator at a Catholic hospital in his diocese permitted a direct abortion. The bishop had said that those who were formally involved in the abortion were automatically excommunicated from the Catholic Church.

"The Catholic Physicians Guild of Phoenix fully supports the Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted with respect to matters of life of a mother pregnant with a child in her womb," stated William H. Brophy, M.D., president of the Guild, as published in the Arizona Republic Wednesday. "The Guild stands by the church's teaching that is guided by the Holy Spirit in ordering life toward truth and love."

Brophy continued: "An action which is in and of itself wrong, in that it lacks goodness as discerned by the light of human reason, is never justified by circumstances or intended end. Such is the case of abortion. A medical procedure, where the direct intention is the termination of pregnancy, is an abortion."

Echoing the sentiments of the Phoenix Bishop, Brophy reaffirmed that "medical treatments are appropriate for the direct purpose of curing a proportionately pathological condition of a pregnant woman, when they cannot be safely postponed until the unborn child is viable. When an unborn child attains viability, labor may be induced."

Olmsted had rebuked a religious sister and Catholic hospital administrator, who condoned a 2009 abortion on an 11-week pregnant woman suffering from pulmonary hypertension. According to the diocese, Sr. Margaret McBride of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix told the bishop that she believed the abortion "was a morally good and allowable act according to Church teaching."

However, Olmsted, in a statement provided to the Republic, said that, "An unborn child is not a disease." "While medical professionals should certainly try to save a pregnant mother's life, the means by which they do it can never be by directly killing her unborn child. The end does not justify the means," he said.

Dr. Paul A. Byrne, Director of Neonatology and Pediatrics at St. Charles Mercy Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, told LifeSiteNews.com Monday that he knew of no situations when an abortion was necessary to save the life of the mother, and that "given just pulmonary hypertension, the answer is no" to abortion.

Sr. McBride has since been demoted from her position as vice president of mission integration.

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1 - 7 of 7 Comments

Rose
2 years ago
Everyone is quick to reply without knowing the entire facts. Why can this nun be kicked out of the church so quickly and others who do harm never are? There is nothing wrong with what I wrote. It's what catholics all over are thinking.
Cyril
2 years ago
It appears from the bishop and the Catholic Physicians Guild that the decision of the ethics staff in the hospital in Arizona was morally wrong. We do not know all the details for making the decision. If the woman was in real danger of death and nothing was done it would appear that both mother and baby in the womb would have died. I would hope that the staff at the hospital were more aware of the situation then those of us commenting about their actions. It would appear to me that if the baby would have been removed it may not have survived.
Ed Burke
3 years ago
It must be a difficult thing for a person who cherishes life to feel a decision they must make could kill either the mother or her unborn child. We must all pray that God, who allows people to deal with such life & death decisions, enlighten and strengthen these people burdened with such choices. I am glad it is not I who must make such a choice. I am sure that the persons involved do not consider the results to ever be a victory, when anyone loses their life, mother or child. May merciful Jesus be close to such burdened souls.
Fr.Thomas
3 years ago
I fully support the Bishop. Nothing, nobody can justify the action of the nun. These days with modern tecnologies the life of both the baby and the mother could be saved. Abortion should not be used as a method to cure. Let us pray for the sister that God give her good discernment.
NittanyChap
3 years ago
The ethics for Catholic healthcare providers states very specifically when a procedure such as this is allowed to occur. We do not have the full story but from what I can gather from the Bishop is that the Church's ethical teachings were dismissed and the "principle of double effect" was ignored. The idea that a faith-based institution, no matter if in name only, lost faith in the mircales of God for providing life is disheartening. The committee's attitude of diminishing the role of our Blessed Mother to intercede on behalf of human life destroy's feminen virtue. The ethics committee made this another attempt for situational ethics to triumph over absolute morality.

I pray that the mother makes a full recovery and realizes the error that was made, no matter if she was manipulated into this situation or not. I pray for repentence for the memebers of the committee. And I pray that we mourn, not only because of the violation of our faith, but also for the loss of a beautiful soul that none of us will be blessed to know. May this child rest evermore in the loving arms of Mary in the heavenly realm of our eternal Father.
Kristin
3 years ago
Shame on all of you that support this decision.
Donna
3 years ago
Thank you, Bishop, for standing for the truths that we teach in the Catholic Church. God bless you and your Diocese.

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