Denver, Colo., Oct 30, 2007 / 09:43 am America/Denver (CNA).
A Catholic hospital group's acquisition of non-Catholic Denver-area hospitals has started a debate about the place of Catholic ethics in healthcare.
The Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System is taking over three Exempla Healthcare facilities: St. Joseph's Hospital in Denver, Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge, and Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette, reports the Denver Post. The Sisters of Charity are paying $311 million to buy out the 50 percent stake of its partner in the hospitals, the Community First Foundation.
Catholic ethics forbids direct abortion and birth control, and are already in force at the Sisters of Charity-owned St. Joseph's Hospital. These standards will be implemented in the other hospitals after their successful acquisition.
Exempla Spokeswoman Kim Kobel says the two other hospitals to be acquired have performed an average of five abortions per year to preserve the life and the health of the mother. Tubal ligations will also cease, and women seeking emergency contraception will be referred to other hospitals. End of life care practices could also be affected by the change of ownership.
The ownership change must be approved by the state attorney general. The attorney general's review will focus on whether the acquisition constitutes a "material change in purpose." If the review concludes it does, further inquiry will determine if reasonable accommodations have been made for the affected community.
