NEWS

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

In this article, Harold Koenig, MD recounts a case in which he chose to pray for a patient enduring chronic pain, severe depression and thoughts of suicide. After back surgery left the patient in lasting agony, Koenig engaged not only in medical treatment but also daily prayer and discussion of the patient’s spiritual struggles. The article uses this story to explore how many physicians hold beliefs in a higher power and how this shapes their work even in a system that mostly views medicine as a secular, scientific endeavour. It discusses how spiritual history–taking and recognizing “sacred moments” can enhance care, lower physician burnout and address human suffering that clinical protocols cannot fully explain.

By: Eric Spitznagel

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affiliation may contribute to “abortion stigma” within the hospital culture, and called the agreement “incredibly outdated.”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

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

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

The article describes how the growing consolidation of Catholic health systems in the U.S. is affecting access to reproductive health services. It reports that Catholic hospitals now comprise a significant share of hospital beds and systems, and because they follow the Ethical and Religious Directives (which limit or forbid services like abortion, many contraceptive methods, fertility treatments, and certain miscarriage management options), their market power means fewer alternative providers are available in many communities. The piece argues that this creates access barriers for patients, especially in states where Catholic hospitals are the primary or only option.

By: Bailey Sanders, Barak Richman, Kierra B. Jones, Andrea Ducas, Samuel Doernberg

A report by National Nurses United (NNU) claims that Ascension Health’s investments—in its Master Pension Trust—include hundreds of millions of dollars in industries that conflict with the Vatican’s 2022 guidance Mensuram Bonam: Faith-Based Measures for Catholic Investors. These holdings cover weapons manufacturers, alcohol, gambling, tobacco, mining, fossil fuels, environmental-harmful banks, and exploitative labor sectors. NNU urges Ascension to increase transparency, publish its investment criteria, divest from problematic sectors, and release lists of holdings and divestments.

By: National Nurses Organizing Committee

Three nursing students from Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina spent two weeks aboard a Mercy Ships hospital ship in Madagascar as part of an internship. Mercy Ships delivers free surgical care in areas with very limited medical access. The students describe being transformed by the experience through serving patients in a “medical desert,” working alongside volunteers, and living out their faith through acts of compassion, service, and community.

By: Kate Quiñones

Bishop Pius Moon Chang-woo and representatives of several Catholic organizations in South Korea formally opposed proposed revisions to the Maternal and Child Health Act. The amendments would allow broader access to abortion pills, revise language to neutralize abortion, and include abortion services under national health insurance. The Catholic leaders argued the changes would devalue fetal life and marginalize the balance between a woman’s rights and the fetus’s right to life; they pledged to revitalize a national pro-life movement to uphold ethical standards and support pregnant women through Catholic health networks

By: National Nurses Organizing Committee

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

Bishop Pius Moon Chang-woo and representatives of several Catholic organizations in South Korea formally opposed proposed revisions to the Maternal and Child Health Act. The amendments would allow broader access to abortion pills, revise language to neutralize abortion, and include abortion services under national health insurance. The Catholic leaders argued the changes would devalue fetal life and marginalize the balance between a woman’s rights and the fetus’s right to life; they pledged to revitalize a national pro-life movement to uphold ethical standards and support pregnant women through Catholic health networks

By: UCA Report

Dr. Carolyn Manhart, an internal medicine physician in Omaha, reflects on how her Catholic faith deeply shapes her medical vocation. Her early experiences caring for the ill and a transformative encounter during her formation, reading Humanae Vitae and training at the Pope Paul VI Institute, helped her embrace the Church’s ethical teachings. As a practicing physician, she integrates faith into her care by fostering dignity and spiritual reflection among elderly patients.

By: Charlie Camosy

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: Julie Mind

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

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

The upcoming merger between St. Mary's General Hospital and Grand River Hospital in Kitchener will result in a new, secular hospital. This marks a departure from St. Mary's long-standing Catholic affiliation. The new governance structure will feature a secular board of directors. Community reactions are mixed, with some expressing concerns over the loss of Catholic values, while others view the change as a positive step towards broader inclusivity. The new hospital is slated to open in 2026, aiming to provide expanded services and meet the growing healthcare demands of the region.

By: Record Staff

The Delta Hospice Society, which provides secular, palliative care, is planning to establish a MAiD-free “sanctuary hospice” in Alberta after facing resistance from the B.C. government. With funding secured and potential properties visited, the Society seeks Alberta's protection from being compelled to offer euthanasia, something they oppose based on their commitment to traditional palliative care principles. Their original facility in B.C. was seized in 2021 when they refused to allow MAiD, as the Society didn’t qualify for faith-based exemptions.

By: Terry O’Neil

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

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

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

Anscombe Bioethics Centre in Oxford, the UK’s oldest Catholic bioethics research institute, has closed due to financial strain imposed by its trustee (Catholic Trust for England and Wales). The decision sparked widespread concern among scholars, who described it as a “tragedy.” The centre had played a prominent role in public bioethical debates and policy engagement for nearly 50 years.

By: Simon Caldwell

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

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights has launched investigations under the Church Amendments into healthcare providers who claim religious exemptions for refusing to provide gender-affirming care. The investigations mark the first time HHS has explicitly stated that the Church Amendments cover refusal of gender-affirming services and that misgendering patients may be included under these protections.

By: Kate Wells

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