A nun reportedly approved of an abortion and is now automatically excommunicated. This, of course, is already being portrayed as the Church oppressing pregnant women and nuns.

To be technical though, the sister who approved of the abortion excommunicated herself. Bishop Olmsted simply acknowledged it but secular reporters aren’t likely to appreciate that distinction.

A Fox affiliate is reporting:

Sister Margaret McBride, who was also a long-time administrator at St Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, has also been reassigned to other duties, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, head of the Phoenix Diocese said.

The incident occurred late last year when McBride was consulted — along with doctors — in the case of a young woman who was 11 weeks pregnant.

The woman was suffering a life-threatening condition which was likely to have caused her death had she not had an abortion.

“In this tragic case, the treatment necessary to save the mother’s life required the termination of an 11-week pregnancy,” hospital vice president Susan Pfister told the newspaper.

Pfister issued the statement on behalf of the hospital, its parent company Catholic Healthcare West, and the Sisters of Mercy, McBride’s religious order.

Olmsted confirmed McBride was “automatically excommunicated” because of her involvement in the abortion.

“I am gravely concerned by the fact that an abortion was performed several months ago in a Catholic hospital in this diocese,” Olmsted said.

“I am further concerned by the hospital’s statement that the termination of a human life was necessary to treat the mother’s underlying medical condition.

“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.”

As always, we should pray for all involved. St. Gianna Molla pray for us.

Jean at Catholic Fire writes:

I have been reading all the secular news items on this story and they are making the Bishop out to be the heavy, when all he is doing is stating the obvious — those who cooperated in the abortion automatically excommunicated themselves.

Courageous Priest has more on this story.