A Bishop and the Road Less Traveled

By Deacon Nick Schwartz

In December of 2009, a 27 year-old woman in her third month of pregnancy arrived at St. Joseph Catholic Hospital in Phoenix, AZ. She suffered from a serious condition called pulmonary hypertension, a condition in which pregnancy can increase the danger to the life of the mother (and the baby).

Her doctors made the decision that an abortion was indicated and the procedure was performed at St. Joseph. Months later, after knowledge of this action was made public, the hospital said in a statement, “In this tragic case, the treatment necessary to save the mother’s life required the termination of an 11-week pregnancy. This decision was made after consultation with the patient, her family, her physicians, and in consultation with the Ethics Committee.” (No mention was made whether the baby was consulted).

Sr. Margaret McBride was an administrator at St. Joseph’s Hospital and a member of the ethics committee that authorized the direct killing of this preborn child.

When the Bishop of Phoenix, Thomas Olmsted, was made aware that an abortion had been performed at a Catholic Hospital in his diocese, he investigated. Sr. McBride was contacted privately to get her side of the story. She confirmed to Bishop Olmsted that she had approved the abortion. He then informed her that based on the facts as he understood them, she had triggered the provision of canon law that provides a latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication. (Canon 1398 of the Code of Canon Law states: “A person who procures a completed abortion incurs a latae sententiae excommunication”).

News of all this was leaked to the press in May of 2010, probably to embarrass the Bishop and put pressure on him. Bishop Olmsted felt compelled to clarify certain facts in order to prevent public misunderstanding. The Diocesan Office of Communications released a document confirming that Sr. McBride—and apparently others (none of who are named)—automatically excommunicated themselves due to their involvement in the abortion.

As one might imagine, this immediately unleashed a flood of anti-Catholic sentiment along with the rage of the secular news media and dissident Catholic groups. Bishop Olmsted was made out to be a monster. They said he was a Vatican bureaucrat out of touch with reality; wrong on the morality of the abortion performed at St. Joseph and equally wrong on the excommunication of Sr. McBride. He obviously hated women and didn’t care if they died as long as rigid Church dogma was upheld. The New York Times portrayed it as “the Evil Bishop vs. the Saintly Nun.” Nicholas Kristof, in an article in the Times, wrote: “along comes Bishop Olmsted to excommunicate the Christ-like figure (Sr. McBride) in our story. If Jesus were around today, he might sue the bishop for defamation.”

After negotiating for over 6 months with Catholic Health West (CHW), the organization that runs St. Joseph Hospital, Bishop Olmsted came to the conclusion that they did not intend to admit any wrongdoing or take any action to prevent a similar event from occurring in the future. So in December of 2010 the Bishop issued the following statement: “In light of failures to comply with the Ethical and Religious Directives of the Church, it is my duty to decree that, in the Diocese of Phoenix, at St. Joseph’s Hospital, CHW is not committed to following the teaching of the Catholic Church and therefore this hospital cannot be considered Catholic. The faithful of the Diocese have a right to know whether institutions of this importance are indeed Catholic in identity and practice.” Another flurry of anti-Catholic newspaper articles, TV shows and internet postings ensued.

In spite of what the media and many others believe, it’s my opinion that Bishop Olmsted is the good guy in this story. The headlines should probably read: “Conscientious Bishop Tries to Do His Job after Nun Makes Regretful Decision.”

The Bishop wanted to deal with all of this privately, including his communications with Sr. McBride. He only went public when the events became known to the press and St. Joseph Hospital confirmed the story. Had the hospital kept its mouth shut, Bishop Olmsted would have kept it confidential.

Sr. McBride was not excommunicated by Bishop Olmsted; she excommunicated herself when she approved the abortion. In this case, according to Church Law, excommunication is automatic and does not need a bishop to formally declare it. Bishop Olmsted was simply doing his pastoral duty of informing her of this reality and the steps she needed to take to reconcile with the Church. Rather than being condemned the Bishop should be commended for doing what was necessary to bring a person back into full communion with the Church.

The Church has always taught that direct abortion is never permitted as an end or as a means. Abortion is always immoral since it constitutes the direct killing of an unborn child.

Then what can be done in a situation like this when a pregnant woman’s life is in danger? First of all, we must always remember that when a difficult medical situation involves a pregnant woman, there are two patients in need of treatment and care; not merely one. In God’s eyes the unborn child’s life is just as sacred as the mother’s life, and neither life can be preferred over the other. Think about it. Is there ever a situation that is moral where I get to live only if you must die?

An unborn child is not a disease and a pregnant mother’s life is not in danger from her child. Rather, it is the actual illness (i.e. pulmonary hypertension) that is the real threat to the mother’s life and that illness is what needs to be treated and managed with due regard for the child’s health as well.

Bishop Thomas Olmsted, and the Church he is faithfully trying to represent, has taken a lot of bad press over the last ten months because of the events at St. Joseph Hospital in Phoenix. But the Church chooses to follow our Lord, which means proclaiming the truth no matter what, and getting a few black eyes along the way.

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.” (Matt. 7:13-14) Yes, the Church is on “the road less traveled,” and it can be lonely at times. But thank God that more of our shepherds in the U.S., like Bishop Olmsted, are standing up and drawing a line in the sand. Pray for our bishops, and pray for the Church, that we may follow Jesus in all situations, especially the tough ones.