London, England, Oct 4, 2007 / 08:36 am
A prominent Catholic hospital in London is debating whether to institute a pro-life code of ethics at the behest of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster, The Telegraph reports.
The new code of ethics for the north London hospital of St. John and St. Elizabeth's would bar doctors from referring abortions or providing contraceptives. The code results from an investigation last year that found that medical staff was already violating Church teaching. Though intended to be implemented at the start of the year, it has faced resistance from doctors and executives.
Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor has said “It is important to give a sign to society that here is a hospital which will adhere to this particular code.”
National Health Service contracts require some hospital doctors to provide some family planning services.