Boston Catholic health-care agency withdraws from abortion-tainted state contract

June 29, 2009

The Archdiocese of Boston has withdrawn from a controversial state contract, just days before the contract would have taken effect. The archdiocese announced on June 26 that the Caritas Christi health agency would not go forward with plans to enter a partnership that would have provided a broad range of state-subsidized medical services, because of concerns about involvement in abortion and other immoral practices. Instead, the announcement indicated that Caritas Christi would "maintain its important role as a provider of health care to many enrolled" in the state program.

In March, Caritas Christi had joined with a Missouri-based secular business, the Centene Corporation, in a partnership that won a lucrative state contract to provide health-care services for low-income Massachusetts residents. Pro-life activists in the area vigorously protested, because the terms of the government contract explicitly required coverage for abortion, sterilization, and other procedures condemned by Church teaching. Celticare-- the joint venture set up by Caritas Christi and Centene, with the archdiocesan agency controlling 49% of the shares-- had guaranteed ready access to abortion services, and advertised an affiliation with Planned Parenthood for that purpose.

Cardinal Sean O'Malley made the decision last week that Caritas Christi could not go forward with the partnership, after a thorough study of the options by the National Catholic Bioethics Center. To protect its Catholic identity, Caritas Christi announced that it was withdrawing from the Celticare partnership.

The announcement, issued late on Friday afternoon, was obviously timed for minimal publicity, and Caritas Christi declined to provide details about the revised arrangement. But pro-lifers welcomed the archdiocesan decision. Judie Brown, president of the American Life League, remarked: "Cardinal O'Malley's reaffirmation of the faith, when it would have been all too easy to compromise, is a sign of the vitality of United States Catholics’ commitment to human life and personhood."

 

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Further information:

• Caritas ends venture over abortion issue (Boston Globe)
• New Agreement Allows Caritas To Serve the Poor As a Provider in the Connector Program (Boston archdiocese)
• Will Caritas Christi Be Involved in the Abortion Business? (Phil Lawler/Catholic World Report, June 2009)