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St. Mary’s Mumias Hospital in Kenya to Reopen Under Women Religious to Restore “Catholic ethos,” Says Kakamega Bishop
The Kakamega Catholic Bishop announced plans to reopen St. Mary’s Mumias Mission Hospital in western Kenya under the leadership of women Religious to restore the facility’s Catholic identity after it suspended services earlier in 2025 due to financial difficulties and staff walkouts. The bishop said women Religious from the Sisters of Mary of Kakamega will play a central role in staffing and re-establishing the hospital’s Catholic ethos as operations resume.
By: ACI Africa Staff
Concerns over abortion, vasectomies, IVF, gender-affirming care access as a Catholic organization Calvary buys Hobart Private
The purchasing of a private hospital has raised concerns among medical groups about how the change in ownership could affect access to legal medical services including surgical abortions, vasectomies and gender-affirming care, with the Australian Medical Association urging Calvary to make exemptions to ensure continued availability. Tasmanian government officials said the sale will secure ongoing private healthcare capacity in the region while negotiations continue about service delivery under the new ownership.
By: Josh Duggan
Dialysis one way, MAiD the other ? Critics sound alarms about Vancouver clinics offering life or death
Critics, including the head of a prominent anti-MAiD organization raised concerns about the increasing presence of clinics offering the procedure in Vancouver near those that offer health services, such as dialysis. Critics argue that the proximity of services that sustain life and those that end it raises ethical question about how MAiD is integrated into the health system. They say these developments highlight broader unease among pro-life advocates about how MAiD is being normalized in settings where patients face critical decisions about life and death.
By: Terry O’Neil
Pregnant in California ? What Catholic hospital rules can mean in emergency.
A California woman was denied emergency maternal care at a Catholic-affiliated hospital after her water broke at 17 weeks of pregnancy. Hospital staff said religious directives prevented them from intervening while fetal cardiac activity remained, and she was discharged to miscarry at home. She later received care at a non-Catholic hospital. The article notes that the hospital is part of a Catholic system governed by religious ethical rules and situates the case within wider scrutiny of how such policies operate in a state where reproductive health services are otherwise legally protected, particularly considering many of California's largest hospitals are catholic.
By: Anya Schultz
Pregnant mom uncovers late-term abortions
A pregnant woman describes how she went undercover to document what she says were late-term abortions being performed at a hospital, posing as a patient to obtain information about the procedures. The piece outlines her claims about what she was told by hospital staff and her decision to release recordings and details publicly in order to draw attention to how late-term abortions are handled within the health system.
By: Anna Farrow
On the USCCB's revised “ethical and religious directives" for catholic hospitals
U.S. Catholic bishops voted to formally ban gender-affirming care at Catholic-affiliated hospitals by adopting revised ethical and religious Directives. The updated directives prohibit "surgical or chemical" interventions aimed at changing a person’s sex characteristics. The bishops approved the revisions at their plenary assembly, and the new policy will guide how Catholic hospitals and providers respond to requests for gender-affirming medical care. Each bishop will be responsible for implementing the policy for their dioceses. Catholic leaders emphasized that the care of all patients should be delivered with dignity and respect, even as the ban takes effect. On the same day, progressive religious leaders issued a statement in support of transgender, intersex, and nonbinary people.
By: John M. Grondelski
U.S. bishops officially ban gender-affirming care at Catholic hospitals
U.S. Catholic bishops voted to formally ban gender-affirming care at Catholic-affiliated hospitals by adopting revised ethical and religious Directives. The updated directives prohibit "surgical or chemical" interventions aimed at changing a person’s sex characteristics. The bishops approved the revisions at their plenary assembly, and the new policy will guide how Catholic hospitals and providers respond to requests for gender-affirming medical care. Each bishop will be responsible for implementing the policy for their dioceses. Catholic leaders emphasized that the care of all patients should be delivered with dignity and respect, even as the ban takes effect. On the same day, progressive religious leaders issued a statement in support of transgender, intersex, and nonbinary people.
By: The Associated Press
Legislators in Victoria want to force Catholic hospitals to abort babies
Lawmakers in Victoria, Australia are proposing legislation that would compel publicly funded Catholic hospitals to provide abortion and contraception services, effectively eliminating long-standing conscientious objection protections. These hospitals currently operate under Catholic ethical guidelines that prohibit abortion and certain forms of contraception. Proponents of the bill argue that medical care should not be influenced by religious doctrine, claiming that public funding requires universal access to all legal medical procedures. Opponents warn that forcing Catholic facilities and their staff to perform abortions would violate moral and religious freedoms, causing emotional distress for healthcare workers and undermining institutional integrity.
By: Nancy Flanders
Unheard. Unserved: Woman says abortion stigma at N.S. hospital almost took her life
A woman from the Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation reported that after undergoing a medical abortion, she experienced severe bleeding at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital (Antigonish, N.S) and felt dismissed by staff. She says an ER nurse reacted dismissively when told she was having serious complications, attributing the condition to “the pill doing its job.” The hospital operates under a mission assurance agreement with the Sisters of St. Martha, which preserves Catholic values in the facility despite public funding. A nurse practitioner noted that this religious affiliation may contribute to “abortion stigma” within the hospital culture, and called the agreement “incredibly outdated.”
By: Ella Macdonald, Rebecca Lau
Good News About Christian Hospitals in Africa
A new study published finds that postoperative mortality at faith-based hospitals in East, Central, and Southern Africa is significantly lower than at other facilities: about 57% lower than at public hospitals and 47% lower than at private hospitals. The article explains that many of these hospitals operate in low-resource environments where access to safe surgical care is limited, yet they consistently deliver stronger outcomes. Researchers suggest that this success may stem from the hospitals’ mission-driven structures, ethical cultures, and deep community trust, though the exact causes remain uncertain. The study challenges assumptions about faith-based institutions being less capable in modern healthcare systems.
By: Christianity Today
Catholic hospital system sued for not providing ’emergency abortion’ as ‘standard of care’
California-based Catholic health system, Dignity Health (operating 41 hospitals), is being sued by a patient who alleges that after suffering pre-viable preterm rupture of membranes (PPROM) twice, she was not offered an abortion by two of the system’s hospitals. The lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court on September 25 2025, accuses Dignity Health of violating state law governing emergency care, civil rights protection, and other statutes by not providing what the plaintiff claims is the “standard of care” in her condition.
By: Gina Christian
Study: Hospitals acquired by Catholic health systems unlikely to eliminate obstetrics
A national study compared over 700 first-time hospital acquisitions between 2009 and 2022 to see how operations change when hospitals are acquired by Catholic vs. non-Catholic systems. The study found that Catholic-system acquisitions are less likely than non-Catholic ones to eliminate obstetrics (labor and delivery) units. Catholic-owned systems also tend to preserve or expand mission-oriented services such as charity care and chaplaincy.
By: Amanda Brewster, Hector Rodriquez, Becky Staiger
Catholic health care providers brace for impact of federal budget bill
The Catholic Health Association (CHA) has introduced an online Ministry Identity Assessment platform that assists Catholic health systems in evaluating their adherence to the seven core commitments of Catholic health care. This tool enables facilities to assess their policies, practices, and community partnerships, guiding them through a comprehensive self-assessment process.
By: Lisa Eisenhauer
Health professionals contemplate ‘imago Dei’
Three more children from Gaza arrived in Italy on a military transport plane on August 13 and were admitted to the Vatican-owned Bambino Gesù pediatric hospital in Rome. A six-month-old baby boy (post-amputation), a 13-year-old brain-injured boy, and a two-year-old girl with celiac disease and malnutrition now join 17 other Gaza children treated there since October 2023. Their arrival was facilitated through coordinated efforts involving the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land and governments across the region.
By: Cindy Wooden
New Jersey hospital receives largest-ever gift to a U.S. - based Catholic Health Center
Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey, the state’s only independent Catholic health system, received a $75 million gift from the Douglas M. Noble Family Foundation. The largest donation ever to a U.S. Catholic health institution, the funds will support expansion in specialized care, workforce development, medical education, and mission-based innovation.
By: Madalaine Elhabbal
Mater Hospital's religious abortion ban left couple feeling ‘abandoned'
A Brisbane couple felt 'abandoned' when Mater Hospital, a Catholic-run system, refused to provide a medically indicated pregnancy termination despite serious fetal abnormalities. Though abortion is legal in Queensland up to 22 weeks, Mater’s longstanding policy prohibits terminations except to save the mother’s life, prompting the couple to seek care elsewhere at significant emotional and financial cost.
By: Emma Pollard
Through Faithfully Forward initiative, CHA works to build student awareness of roles in ethics and mission
CHA has relaunched its Faithfully Forward initiative to address workforce shortages in ethics, mission, and pastoral care by partnering with Catholic universities to promote these roles among students. The effort builds on earlier research identifying barriers like limited internships and low pay, aiming to influence curricula and expand formation opportunities.
By: Julie Minda
MAiD unit, forced onto Catholic-run hospital campus in Canada, now operational
A government‑mandated MAiD unit has begun operating on the campus of St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, a Catholic‑run facility sponsored by Providence Health Care. Despite the hospital’s policy of not providing MAiD, British Columbia’s health authority established and operates the unit on adjacent hospital land connected by a corridor, while Providence continues to transfer patients seeking MAiD to that space rather than offering it internally.
By: Terry O’Neill
Impicciche: Even amid adversity, mission of Catholic health care is as vital as ever
In his reflection as outgoing CHA Board Chair, Impicciche emphasizes Catholic health care’s enduring mission amid systemic challenges like workforce shortages and policy shifts. He highlights the sector’s unity, its moral voice in public policy, and the need for innovative, community-rooted care grounded in dignity and compassion.
By: Joe Impicche
Atlanta hospital ensures Catholic identity through new sponsorship agreement
Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta, founded by the Sisters of Mercy, has entered a formal sponsorship agreement with the Archdiocese of Atlanta and Emory Healthcare to preserve its Catholic identity. The agreement ensures the hospital follows the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, maintains strong chaplaincy and community outreach, and remains committed to compassionate care. Hospital leaders emphasized that the new structure will uphold the legacy of integrating faith, science, and mercy, continuing the mission established over 145 years ago.
By: Amira Abuzeid