Should Catholic hospitals be forced to kill innocent babies? A district court in Michigan answered this question with a resounding "No."
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division, recently junked a demand from the non-profit organisation American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) that Catholic medical facilities be required to perform abortion procedures.
The ACLU argued that any hospital's refusal to end lives of innocent babies would constitute a violation of the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.
Various Christian medical groups such as Catholic Medical Association, the Christian Medical and Dental Associations and the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists fought the ACLU's demand, asserting their religious rights. They were represented in court by the Alliance Defending Freedom.
In its decision, the district court described as "dubious" the ACLU's claims of harm from the hospital system's pro-life position.
The court also gave weight to the ethical guidelines of Trinity Health Corporation for Catholic Health Ministries, which runs several hospitals around the country. These guidelines clearly forbid abortion, according to the court.
In deciding on the case, Judge Gershwin Drain said the ACLU did not even have any case, saying that the harm to pregnant women the group is asserting is just based on speculations.
"To find the claim to be ripe for review on the facts pleaded before this court would be to grant a cause of action to every pregnant woman in the state of Michigan upon the date of conception," Drain said in the ruling.
"Accordingly, the alleged harm has not risen beyond a speculative nature and is not ripe for review," he added.
Kevin Theriot, one of the senior counsels that defended the Catholic hospitals, said no one should be forced to violate his or her faith.
"No American should be forced to commit an abortion – least of all faith-based medical workers who went into the profession to follow their faith and save lives, not take them," Theriot said, as quoted by WND.
"No law requires religious hospitals and medical personnel to commit abortions against their faith and conscience, and, in fact, federal law directly prohibits the government from engaging in any such coercion. As we argued in our brief to the court, the ACLU had no standing to bring this suit and demand this kind of government coercion," he added.
