A woman in her seventh month of pregnancy with twins died after a Catholic hospital’s ob-gyn failed to respond to a page. The husband and father of the twins is arguing in a lawsuit that even if the hospital couldn’t save his wife they should’ve saved the twins.
As sad as that all is, here’s where things get even uglier. In a piece that you just know The Huffington Post delighted to write, they report:
But when it came to mounting a defense in the Stodghill case, Catholic Health’s lawyers effectively turned the Church directives on their head. Catholic organizations have for decades fought to change federal and state laws that fail to protect “unborn persons,” and Catholic Health’s lawyers in this case had the chance to set precedent bolstering anti-abortion legal arguments. Instead, they are arguing state law protects doctors from liability concerning unborn fetuses on grounds that those fetuses are not persons with legal rights.
As Jason Langley, an attorney with Denver-based Kennedy Childs, argued in one of the briefs he filed for the defense, the court “should not overturn the long-standing rule in Colorado that the term ‘person,’ as is used in the Wrongful Death Act, encompasses only individuals born alive. Colorado state courts define ‘person’ under the Act to include only those born alive. Therefore Plaintiffs cannot maintain wrongful death claims based on two unborn fetuses.”
That’s really bad, right? What makes it worse is they’re winning. The Catholic Health attorneys have won in district and appellate court so far.
According to their website, “The mission of Catholic Health Initiatives is to nurture the healing ministry of the Church by bringing it new life, energy and viability in the 21st century. Fidelity to the Gospel urges us to emphasize human dignity and social justice as we move toward the creation of healthier communities.”
It’s easy to put it on the website. It’s a little harder to live it. I hope that CHI drops this line of argument. I guess being Catholic is great but not if it costs money.
