It's a hospital not a restaurant! The insane reason why the ACLU is suing a Catholic hospital

Catholic healthcare is back in the news following an ACLU suit against Mercy Hospital in Redding, CA, over whether or not a patient has the right to demand a tubal ligation be performed at the facility following a C-section. A Superior Court judge has already sided with the hospital, but the case is being pursued anyway.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - Mercy Hospital in Redding, CA, is a Catholic hospital and a ministry of the Catholic Church. Despite this connection, a patient has demanded the hospital perform a tubal ligation following a planned C-section delivery.  Tubal ligation, or tube tying, as it is commonly known, is a form of contraception and is against the moral doctrine of the Church.

Asking the hospital to perform such a procedure is asking the hospital to do something that it is intrinsically opposed to doing. It would be similar to a patient demanding a doctor euthanize them in spite of their Hippocratic Oath.

A Catholic hospital is a charitable organization. It is a religious ministry that often offers care at low or no cost to patients who cannot afford it. It is not however, a market where people can demand goods and services at will. Healthcare is governed by codes of morals and ethics. Some codes are stricter than others, coming from religious institutions, but even the most liberal facilities have procedures they won't perform.

Hospitals are not restaurants where patients can special order whatever they like. The supply of doctors, nurses and beds is very limited. Medical facilities are also tightly controlled and highly regulated. If your only choice for healthcare is a Catholic hospital, it is unfortunate. Limitations imposed by geography or an individual's financial situation, should not be used to force a Catholic hospital to compromise its own code of ethics.

Who would want to visit a hospital that lacked an appropriate moral code of ethics?

A tubal ligation is not a medical necessity, it's just a patient's preference. But medical ethics, and adherence to Catholic moral doctrine isn't negotiable for the Hospital. If the ACLU cares so much for a patient's tubal ligation, they should save the money they're spending on litigation and buy the woman a ticket to another facility where such a procedure can be performed, instead of asking a hospital to cast aside its moral integrity.