The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, 6th ed (
USCCB, June 2018) speak of a bishop's role in safeguarding authentic Catholic medical practice. Directive # 36 of those
ERDs has allowed Catholic hospitals to use "Plan B" (aka, emergency (so-called) contraception) under very specific criteria, thinking that there was a protocol which could thus ensure that Plan B was not operating in an abortifacient manner. Yet, faithful Catholic physicians (and others) tell us that you can NEVER be certain that Plan B is not being abortifacient:
Rebecca
Peck, MD, Walter Rella, MD, Julio Tudelo, PharmD, PhD, Justo Aznar, PhD, and
Bruno Moznegga, MD, Does levonorgestrel emergency contraceptive have a post-fertilization effect? A review of its mechanism of action, Linacre Quarterly, April 2016
So in light of what is known, this question was recently posed to Dr. Chris Kahlenborn, "Why do so many bishops permit its use if the information is so clear?"
As per Dr Kahlenborn, our "bishops basically take their cues from a group called the National Catholic Bioethics Center." Incredibly, the
NCBC, which is effectively leading bishops misled on the abortifacient potential of Plan B,
has absolutely no physicians on its staff!
If any of our bishops (or their loved ones) had cancer, would they seek medical advice from the NCBC, instead of (Catholic) physicians? Of course not! They should show the same concern for their flocks, ENSURING that the tiniest of them are not being killed at CATHOLIC hospitals! At present, they are exhibiting clericalism in its ugliest form.
So now, the $64K QUESTION:
Why on earth would the NCBC not embrace what is being said by faithful Catholic physicians? It makes absolutely no sense, but it may be interesting to consider the advice given to the character played by Robert Redford by the mystery man we now know to have been Mark Felt:
As per the
IRS, "A tax-exempt organization must file an annual information return or notice with the IRS, unless an exception applies. Annual information returns include Form 990, Form 990-EZ and Form 990-PF. Form 990-N (e-Postcard) is an annual notice. Form 990 is the IRS' primary tool for gathering information about tax-exempt organizations, educating organizations about tax law requirements and promoting compliance. Organizations also use the Form 990 to share information with the public about their programs. Additionally, most states rely on the Form 990 to perform charitable and other regulatory oversight and to satisfy state income tax filing requirements for organizations claiming exemption from state income tax."
It is interesting that 990 forms can be found online for non-profit hospitals, providing such information as salaries of highest paid staff. It seems odd that such forms cannot be found for the National Catholic Bioethics Center. Judging from its web site, it appears that the NCBC is funded by donations and various
membership fees. A detailed financial statement such as the 990 could reveal whether there are funding sources which the NCBC is hesitant to offend. An "ethics center" should certainly be eager to share such information.
We need our bishops to speak boldly for the cause of life.
Please
email and urge USCCB president Cardinal DiNardo, Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop Chaput (and his auxiliaries), and NCBC's ethicists to IMMEDIATELY disallow so-called emergency contraception in Catholic hospitals.
And as it has long been known that other hormonal "contraceptives" can also cause early abortions and are deadly dangerous (e.g.,
1,
2) and just about every pharmacy (including those in supermarkets and department stores) provide such, no parish should be allowing advertisements from providers of hormonal "contraceptives"!
Please speak with your pastor, to ensure that your parish - be it in a bulletin or a directory - does not have such ads.
