Washington D.C., Apr 3, 2020 / 12:00 pm
The coronavirus pandemic does not justify abandoning medical ethics, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops told medical professionals in an urgent warning issued on Friday.
"Every crisis produces fear, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception," said a joint statement issued April 3 in response to reports of healthcare rationing plans being drawn up in different parts of the country.
"However, this is not a time to sideline our ethical and moral principles. It is a time to uphold them ever more strongly, for they will critically assist us in steering through these trying times."
The statement was signed by Bishop Kevin Rhoads of Fort Wayne-South Bend, who leads the USCCB's doctrine committee, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, head of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the USCCB's domestic justice and human development.