[Pflienews] PharmFacts E-News Update: OhioHealth Saga Part II

Wed Feb 13 13:39:20 MST 2008

*PharmFacts E-News Update -- 13 Feb 2008 AD

Ohio Health Saga Part II
*
*Sent:* Wednesday, February 13, 2008 1:21 PM
*To:* columbuscatholic at yahoogroups.com
*Subject:* RE: [Cols Catholic] Victorian Village Health Center

*Perhaps you'd like to re-read what I wrote. I did NOT write that anyone 
or any facility is doing abortions. What I _did_ say is that OhioHealth 
(of which Victorian Village** is a part) does have immoral procedures on 
its menu of services offered to patients*. I am speaking of 
contraception, sterilizations, etc. Please let us all know if this is 
not the case. Of course, with eight hospitals and several outpatient 
facilities in the OhioHealth system, I cannot determine where abortions 
might and might not be performed and how often. Abortion was not the 
topic the piece I wrote. TR is making the same point. For instance, are 
prescriptions for oral contraceptives written in OhioHealth facilities 
or is it possible for a patient at one of the OhioHealth emergency 
departments or urgent care centers to receive so called "emergency 
contraception" AKA "morning after pills?" Again, TR's question is very 
important: "What would happen with a patient who is diagnosed with an 
unwanted pregnancy?"  And his other question: "What would be done with a 
patient who asked to have a vasectomy?" Would those procedures be 
performed and/or would the facility assist the patient in having such a 
procedure.

Your Victorian Village Health Center website has links to other services 
provided by OhioHealth. There is one section on "Maternity Services" 
that goes into great detail about prenatal diagnosis (amniocentesis, 
chorionic villous sampling, etc.) see: 
http://chi-nl-dev-01.medseek.com/websitefiles/OhioHeal2733485/body.cfm?id=1273

Prenatal diagnosis is proper when the result is to be used to save the 
unborn baby's life or to treat a condition in utero. The Catholic Church 
teaches that prenatal diagnosis is not permitted when the purpose is to 
target babies for abortion. The OhioHealth link above repeatedly 
mentions Down Syndrome. The chief purpose of prenatal diagnosis of Down 
Syndrome is to permit the patient to opt for abortion. I am not saying 
that all prenatal testing is immoral but prenatal diagnosis performed 
for the purpose of targeting certain babies for abortion is gravely 
evil. Considering that there can be substantial risk for the baby when 
such procedures are performed, indeed there has to be serious benefit 
for the baby to allow prenatal diagnosis.

I KNOW that all Columbus hospitals (including OhioHealth hospitals) do 
sterilizations and provide contraception. Perhaps they stopped doing so 
in the last week. I actually checked on this matter when I was in one of 
the hospitals within the last ten days. If indeed all the OhioHealth and 
Columbus Catholic hospitals and health facilities have stopped ALL 
immoral procedures, I would love to know. That would be earthshaking and 
very welcome news. Indeed if any facility, medical practice, or pharmacy 
were completely clean of all immoral procedures, please let us all know. 
I am sure that we would all be eager to refer patients to those 
facilities, medical practices, and pharmacies.

My point in writing what I wrote was to tell people that they should not 
be asking only about abortion. The Catholic Church teaches that 
prescribing or taking contraception is a MORTAL sin. Yes, abortion is 
taking a human life but any mortal sin is a grave matter and Catholics 
who cooperate in mortal sin are not permitted to receive Communion.

You also mentioned that Catholics work for OhioHealth. That does not 
make OhioHealth consistent with Catholic teachings. The degree to which 
those Catholics cooperate in any immoral procedures is something for 
them to discuss with their pastors and confessors and to reflect on in 
their prayerful daily examinations of their consciences. It is not for 
me or anyone else to judge an individual but there are objective 
standards of the moral law and factual information that tells us what 
procedures are done at various health facilities.

Dr DMD

*[PFLI Note:  We have visited dozens of outpatient offices run by 
OhioHealth in central OH and all of them prescribe so-called oral 
"contraceptives", which are often abortifacient, and many--if not 
all--will write prescriptions for the abortifacient Plan B  so-called 
"morning after pill". Many of these same offices offer the various 
samples of brand name so-called oral "contraceptives" which drug reps 
leave  behind, having had eyewitnesses observe this]

*

*Sent:* Wednesday, February 13, 2008 9:13 AM
*To:* columbuscatholic at yahoogroups.com
*Subject:* RE: [Cols Catholic] Victorian Village Health Center

Dr. DMD
Perhaps you may want to do a little more research before condemning 
OhioHealth.  We DO NOT perform elective abortions at any of our facilities.
Victorian Village is an urgent care clinic -- NOT an abortion clinic.  I 
have been with OhioHealth for 22 years now, and it is truly a wonderful 
place to work.   There are many Catholics who work here as well.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

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