The ACLU has long waged war on Catholics over the issue of abortion. It recently joined with Planned Parenthood to author a report that sounds the alarms over the “news” that one in six hospitals in the nation is Catholic-run. The actual organization that teamed up with the ACLU is MergerWatch, an arm of Family Planning Advocates, which, in turn, is funded by New York’s Planned Parenthood. That’s how the Left works.
The ACLU has repeatedly sued Catholic hospitals for allegedly violating the civil liberties of women, and it has repeatedly lost in the courts. As proof, it cites the Church’s opposition to contraception, sterilization and abortion, and various directives issued by the bishops to Catholic hospitals. It continues to lose because the First Amendment guarantees religious liberty, a fundamental expression of which is the right of Catholic entities to maintain institutional autonomy.
The study noted with anguish that since 2001, the number of Catholic-owned or affiliated hospitals has risen by 22 percent. Hopefully, the trend will continue, thus providing a safe home for children who might otherwise be killed in their mother’s womb.
The author of the new study, Lois Uttley, who is also the director of MergerWatch, said that “In general, Catholic hospitals provide excellent care.” Her only regret is that they are Catholic.
It is striking that Uttley can acknowledge the yeoman work of Catholic hospitals, and then defend lawsuits directed at disabling them. Evidently, her support for abortion trumps her interest in the health of those served by Catholic hospitals. This suggests that more than support for abortion is at work—it signifies a lust.
