Anchorage, Alaska, May 11, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Claims made by a pro-life group that Providence Alaska Medical Center, a Catholic hospital, is performing abortions are "patently untrue," said Catholic League president William Donohue.
For the past two years, Alaska Right to Life has become increasingly critical of the Providence and Archbishop Roger Schwietz of Anchorage, whose jurisdiction includes the hospital.
In 2003, Alaska Right to Life told Archbishop Schwietz that early inductions of labor were being performed at the health care facility, and that these were a form of abortion. He immediately declared a halt to the procedure.
After some study, the archbishop concluded that Catholic ethical principles were not being compromised, and he lifted the moratorium. He then asked Providence to work with the National Catholic Bioethics Center and leading Catholic bioethicist Dr. John Haas to make sure that its guidelines were airtight. The Catholic community was satisfied, but Alaska Right to Life continues to state its claim.