Fr. Tad did a masterful job framing both the scientific and moral issues related to COVID vaccines. He was also extremely generous with this time, answering questions and engaging in discussion with the audience (both those in-person and joining remotely) late into the evening.
Thank you also to the many people who joined us for this talk. We were very happy to see many of you in person and were also gratified to see so much interest from those joining remotely!
If you haven’t already, please check out the National Catholic Bioethics Center’s website. In particular, keep in mind that if you ever find yourself in an ethically difficult bind, you can Ask a Question 24/7 and an ethicist will help you find the path that is true to Catholic moral teaching in an ever more challenging world!
This is also an excellent opportunity to plug the NCBC’s outstanding consultation service. If ever you face an ethically challenging situation in the world of healthcare (whether as a healthcare professional or as a patient) they have a variety of ways to get help. Check them out here!
This Wednesday is the Brighton Town Board Meeting. This will be the first in-person meeting since COVID started and it’s of utmost importance that there be as many people attend as possible- Brighton residents and non-Brighton residents alike.
When: THIS Wednesday (July 14, 2021) @ 7pm
Where: Brighton Town Hall at 2300 Elmwood Ave
If you are NOT a Brighton resident, we still need you in attendance.
If you ARE a Brighton resident, you will have an opportunity to speak at the open forum portion near the beginning of the meeting as to why you oppose a Planned Parenthood in Brighton.
We are excited to welcome the National Catholic Bioethics Center’s Fr. Tad Pacholczyk to St. Bernard’s! We are happy to be cosponsoring this event with the Diocese of Rochester, and St. Bernard’s School of Theology and Ministry. There will be limited in-person attendance and the talk will also be available via Zoom. Click here to register.
Please join us in giving a warm welcome to THREE new CMA Guilds!!!
Catholic Medical Association Announces Three New Guilds Officially Join Organization.
Guilds in Vermont, Oklahoma and California Bring Guild Total to 113
Philadelphia, PA- June 7, 2021- The Catholic Medical Association is proud to announce three new guilds have officially joined the organization.
Together with all of our members, we welcome the The Mother Cabrini Guild of the Catholic Medical Association to the CMA. Based in Burlington, Vermont, the Mother Cabrini Guild brings our guild total to 113.
CMA guilds aim to provide fellowship, education and opportunities which serve their local Church and public. They are also a base for medical students and residents to find guidance.
“Watching the CMA grow is incredibly rewarding and we are grateful for the contributions the members of these guilds will make as Catholic physicians,” said CMA President Dr. Michael Parker.
“We are very excited to have the Mother Cabrini Guild as a source of fellowship and support for the Catholic health care workers in Vermont,” said Dr. James Ulager, Vice President of the Mother Cabrini Guild.
“Given the nature of the past year, that sense of community is more important than ever. We deeply appreciate the support of Bishop Coyne, and the guidance of our chaplain Father Jon Schnobrich,” added Dr. Ulager.
In recent months, the CMA also welcomed The Holy Family Guild of Oklahoma City and The Diocese of Monterey Guild.
“The Holy Family Guild of Oklahoma City seeks to create a community of physicians and healthcare professionals where they have the opportunity to educate, guide and support each other and the community on matters related to the treatment of our sisters and brothers in Christ,” said Dr. Vincent Venincasa, President of The Holy Family Guild of Oklahoma City.
“We are so pleased to have established our CMA guild in Monterey and welcome all health care professionals, their families, clergy and friends. We join the national CMA and other guilds in our priorities of fellowship, education, service and growth in prayer and holiness. We are blessed to have the wonderful support and guidance of Bishop Danny Garcia and our Chaplain, Father John Farao, as we move forward in this year of challenge and hope,” said Dr. Cindy Hunt, President of The Diocese of Monterey Guild. “Building our Guild presence is vital to the continued efforts of the CMA, allowing our mission which is to form and support current and future physicians to live and promote the principles of the Catholic Faith in the science and practice of medicine, to become fully realized across the country,” added Dr. Parker.
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The Catholic Medical Association is a national, physician-led community of more than 2,300 healthcare professionals consisting of 113 local guilds. CMA mission is to inform, organize, and inspire its members, in steadfast fidelity to the teachings of the Catholic Church, to uphold the principles of the Catholic faith in the science and practice of medicine.
Thank you to Barbara and the Patients Rights Fund for this comprehensive update!
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Dear Friends,
It was a tough fight but I’m happy to inform you that the Connecticut bill to legalize assisted suicide died in committee yesterday when there were not enough votes to pass it. Great thanks and congratulations are due to the large diverse and effective coalition that pulled out all of the stops to defeat the bill. Of the remaining bills, Nevada is the most critical at this time. We will keep you posted.
States Which Defeated Bills to Legalize or Expand Assisted Suicide in 2021
Arizona: HB 2254, SB 1775. Bills died in committee with no activity.
Connecticut: HB 6425. Passed in one committee, died in the second committee.
Indiana: HB 1074. Bill died in committee with no activity.
Iowa: SF 212, HF475. Bills died in committee with no activity.
Kentucky: HB 506. Bill died in committee with no activity.
North Dakota: HB 1415. Bill voted down by the House.
Washington: HB 1141, an expansion bill. Passed in the House and failed when the Senate did not take it up.
States Which Enacted Bills to Legalize Assisted Suicide in 2021
New Mexico: HB 47. Passed in the House and Senate, signed into law by the Governor.
States with Bills to Legalize Assisted Suicide in 2021
Kansas: HB 2202
Massachusetts: S. 1384, H. 2381
Minnesota: SF 1352, HF 1358
Nevada: SB 105, AB 351
New York: A 4321
Pennsylvania: S.B. 405
Rhode Island: H 5572
States With Bills to Expand Assisted Suicide in 2021
California: SB 380
Hawaii: SB 323, SB 839, SD 2, HB 487. Passed in the Senate, carried over to 2022.
The NCBC provides a very helpful overview of Palliative Care and Hospice in this short article. They also include a helpful list of questions to ask a Hospice agency prior to enrolling.
Check it out (it’s worth the nominal price tag, in our humble opinion!)
The below letter was sent to Arkansas Governor, Asa Hutchinson, to thank him for signing the Medical Ethics and Diversity Act into law.
The letter was sent by CMA, in partnership with The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, which represents more than 30,000 healthcare professionals committed to promoting and upholding Hippocratic medicine’s fundamental principles.
Together with these likeminded organizations, CMA remains dedicated to defending your rights to conscience and religious freedom and upholding the sanctity of life.
Governor Hutchinson, We write to you today to thank you for signing legislation providing protection of the conscience rights of medical professionals. We speak on behalf of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), the Christian Medical and Dental Associations (CDMA), the Catholic Medical Association (CMA), and the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds), together representing approximately 30,000 physicians across the United States. Our members are uniquely impacted by issues of conscience rights as we strive to offer compassionate and excellent healthcare to our patients – both born and preborn.
Fundamental to the unique physician-patient relationship is the concept of a fiduciary relationship – the trust that the patient has in his or her physician, to do and recommend what is in the best interest of the patient. That trust stems from the centuries-old Hippocratic oath, a vow that all physicians take to do no harm to their patients. This Oath is the basis of the doctor-patient relationship, and is the cornerstone of medical ethics for all physicians.
The Hippocratic oath and its promise to “do no harm” has been under attack for the better half of the past century through concerted attempts to use punitive legal coercion to force healthcare professionals to recommend or perform the killing of their patients. This coercion has resulted in a need for conscience protections for those physicians operating within the bounds of Hippocratic Medicine, which explicitly separates medical care from the intentional killing of human beings. Hippocratic physicians must be able to exercise professional judgment for the best interest of all of their patients, born and preborn, without fear of negative career or legal implications as a result of their decisions.
Opponents to conscience rights legislation may claim that current laws provide conscience protection, and that protections like those made into law in Arkansas are not necessary. But existing protections are hollow, as none of these statutes allow a physician who has been discriminated against to sue on their own behalf. All of the current conscience protection laws require the Department of Health and Human Services to sue on the behalf of the physician. It is anticipated then that under the Biden Administration, and HHS Secretary Becerra, physicians have little to no legal recourse against discrimination on the basis of acting according to the Hippocratic Oath and their conscience.
We, as a coalition of medical associations, applaud the work of your office to protect the conscience rights of medical practitioners, and hope that other state leaders will follow in the steps of Arkansas to ensure medical professionals operating in accordance with the Hippocratic oath remain able to do so. Medical professionals are more than a public utility and we should not be forced or bullied into performing procedures, treatments or therapies which kill our patients or leave them permanently injured. Additionally, physicians need to be able to legally defend themselves against such discrimination and bullying when we refuse to do so.
AAPLOG, CMA, CMDA and the ACPeds, alongside our 30,000 members across the country, thank you and your fellow legislators for your leadership on the issue of conscience rights for medical professionals, and invite you to reach out to our organizations should you have any questions.
Respectfully, The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and GynecologistsAmerican College of PediatriciansCatholic Medical AssociationChristian Medical and Dental Associations
