Catholic hospital apologizes for arguing that fetus is not a person
February 05, 2013
Following a meeting with Colorado’s three bishops, a Catholic hospital group has apologized for arguing in a wrongful-death lawsuit that a fetus is not a person.
“In the discussion with the Church leaders, CHI [Catholic Health Initiatives] representatives acknowledged that it was morally wrong for attorneys representing St. Thomas More Hospital to cite the state’s Wrongful Death Act in defense of this lawsuit,” the hospital organization said in a statement. “That law does not consider fetuses to be persons, which directly contradicts the moral teachings of the Church.”
“The representatives also unequivocally affirmed CHI’s strict adherence to one of the Church’s most basic moral commitments– that every person is created in the image and likeness of God and that life begins at the moment of conception,” the statement added. “It is an unfortunate and regrettable point of fact that Colorado law, as it now stands, fails to adequately protect the rights of the unborn.”
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Further information:
- Statement From Catholic Health Initiatives On Lori Stodghill Case
- Catholic hospital group apologizes for fetus lawsuit defense (Reuters)
- In wrongful-death lawsuit, Catholic hospital argues fetus is not a person (CWN, 1/24)
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Posted by: Codefisher -
Feb. 05, 2013 8:02 AM ET USA
Even if you successfully manage to argue that a fetus is not a person it does not change anything in the degree of seriousness of causing its death. St. Thomas (in a now rejected teaching) said that a fetus was not a person till after 40+ days (this was in part from his teaching about the three degrees of the soul, nutritive, sensitive and rational). But in his eyes it made abortion no less wrong, because it was potentially human and any harm to it was against natural law.
