Statement on Human Dignity, Conscience, and Healthcare To
the Catholics and People of East Texas
Bishop Alvaro Corrada, S.J.
Diocese of Tyler
October 1, 2008
1. As we prepare for Christmas and await
the second coming of Christ, let us joyfully exclaim with the Prophet
Isaiah: “Would that you might meet us doing right” (Is 64:4).
2. The Church in East Texas proclaims
and witnesses to the sacred dignity of each human person based on the person
of Jesus Christ. The Son of God became a man, was crucified, and rose on the
third day to manifest God’s love for us and to dwell with us. Jesus reveals
to us the true dignity of every human person, body and soul, created in the
image of God and called to share his life forever. The Gospel and the
Christian life, therefore, are not based on theory or ideology, but on the
truth about the human person revealed in Christ. To be a Christian is to
live with Jesus in the joys and sufferings of this life and to allow him to
enlighten the often difficult decisions we face. In this way Christians bear
that witness to Christ and to the dignity of the human person that our world
so urgently needs. As a successor to the Apostles, I have been entrusted by
Christ and the Church with the task of overseeing the fidelity of that
witness by ensuring that the Gospel shapes the consciences of Catholics and
the practices of Catholic institutions within the Diocese of Tyler. I am at
present particularly concerned that our witness remain strong in the area of
health care.
3. In East Texas, we are confronting two
serious threats to our authentic witness to the Gospel and human dignity
regarding health care. The first is the practice of direct sterilization in
some national Catholic hospital systems; this was initially reported last
summer and confirmed as a local problem through my subsequent discussions
with Trinity Mother Frances in Tyler and CHRISTUS St. Michael in Texarkana.
The second is a continuing attempt through legislation like the so-called
"Freedom of Choice Act" (FOCA) to deny the freedom of conscience of health
care workers and institutions to refrain from participating in medical
procedures contrary to human dignity. As a bishop, it is my duty to remind
Catholics of our evangelical obligation to defend human dignity, which
obligation cannot be altered by appeals to erroneous theological opinions or
unjust legislation. I call upon every Catholic to act in defense of human
dignity with a conscience formed in accord with the Gospel and request that
that they contact their legislators to support freedom of conscience for
those providing health care. I also ask the civil community to join us in
defending human dignity and the right of conscience in this matter.
Reasons for prohibiting abortion,
sterilization, and euthanasia
4. All human beings, especially those
involved in health care, are bound to honor and protect the human body. The
purpose of health care is to heal and, above all, to do no harm. It is the
duty of all to show compassion and care, but never to kill or injure a
patient. Direct abortion and euthanasia are not examples of compassion or
medical care because they kill a human being. Direct sterilization is not an
example of compassion or medical care because it destroys—it does not
heal—the body’s reproductive capacity. No one may do evil so that good may
come of it.
5. Medical procedures that treat an
existing pathology (for example, cancer of part of the reproductive system)
may be administered in a Catholic hospital, even if they result in
sterilization. These procedures are not viewed as sterilizations either by
the Catholic Church or the medical community. They are simply procedures for
existing pathologies that result in sterilization. Tubal ligation and other
forms of direct sterilization, on the other hand, treat no illness and serve
only to destroy the reproductive capacity of a patient. They are elective
procedures, not medically indicated or necessary for healing the patient. No
one, especially a Catholic or a Catholic hospital, can be rightly compelled
in the name of medicine to provide such procedures.
6. The prohibitions against abortion, sterilization, and euthanasia are
based on reasons rooted in the dignity of the human person and the nature of
medicine. These truths of reason are also affirmed in the teachings of the
Catholic Church (for abortion and euthanasia, see Pope John Paul II's
encyclical Evangelium vitae, 1995; for sterilization, see statements from
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: Quaecumquae sterilization,
1975 and Responses to questions proposed concerning "uterine isolation",
1993). These prohibitions, therefore, are not expressions of my personal
opinion as bishop of Tyler; they are based on reason and on the Gospel as
infallibly and universally taught by the Catholic Church. For Catholics,
then, together with human reason the "absolute prohibition that such
procedures be carried out... is simply an act of fidelity to the law of God"
that we cannot contravene or counsel others to contravene and hope to remain
faithful witnesses to the Gospel (see Pope John Paul II’s Ad Limina address
to the bishops of Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, 1998). The Ethical and
Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERD), established by
the bishops of the United States, apply these teachings and have been
accepted by all Catholic health care systems, including Trinity Mother
Frances and CHRISTUS St. Michael. In the present context, I call attention
to the fact that direct sterilizations, which include tubal ligations, are
prohibited under all circumstances by ERD 53.
Acting in defense of human dignity and
conscience in health care
7. As Catholics, we affirm that human
dignity and the Gospel never permit direct abortion, direct sterilization,
or euthanasia. Catholics and Catholics institutions who engage is such
practices commit a grave violation of the Gospel and the human person. If
done with personal knowledge and full consent of the will, those involved
commit a deadly sin. Teachers of the Catholic faith and Catholic moralists
may never condone such actions. Catholic doctors, nurses, and other medical
assistants may not participate in such procedures, not even at private or
non-Catholic institutions. Catholic institutions may not provide such
procedures or tolerate their provision at any facility under their direct
control, partial ownership, or administration.
8. Catholics who have counseled or
participated in procedures contrary to the dignity of the human person
should turn back to Christ and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Catholic
institutions that have been involved in such procedures should cease and
issue public statements acknowledging the full extent of their failure and
pledging to establish means by which they will ensure violations never
happen again.
9. I appeal to the conscience of all men
and women and particularly to those who follow the Gospel of Christ, that
is, the Gospel of Life, to witness against a culture of death. Abortion,
euthanasia, and sterilization are grave offenses against human dignity. All
Catholics, in particular clergy, teachers of the faith, and those working at
Catholic health care institutions, should be attentive to prevent these
abuses and to bear witness to the true doctrine of Christ and the Gospel of
Life.
10. How is it that in the United States,
with its rich history of religious freedom and of religious service to the
community, consideration could be given to enacting civil or criminal laws
that would rule against the obligations of our Christian life, our
consciences, and our faith-based provision of health care? Certainly, the
civil community cannot expect that Catholics would violate the Gospel and
human dignity because the law mandated such a violation. Faced with unjust
legislation of this sort, we would vigorously seek to protect the human
dignity of the patient and the right of conscience for health care workers
and institutions. We would, in that situation, answer with the Apostles: “We
must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
11. As Bishop of the Diocese of Tyler, I
am grateful to CHRISTUS St. Michael’s in Texarkana for their timely action
in stopping direct sterilization, and am hopeful that Trinity Mother Frances
in Tyler will soon follow suit. I issue this statement December 1, 2008, the
beginning of Advent, as a follow up to my public statements of July and
November 2008.
