Archives

Sunday, August 29, 1999
Daily Southtown, front page

Therapeutic abortion storm brewing

Rare Christ Hospital procedure disputed

Sunday, August 29, 1999

By Cathleen Falsani
Health Writer

More than a quarter-century after the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Roe vs. Wade case legalized abortion, moral and ethical questions about pregnancy termination and reproductive rights remain the subject of heated debate.

In recent weeks, a tempest has been brewing at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn over the
hospital's practice of performing what are commonly called therapeutic abortions.

Such abortions, known at Christ Hospital as "medically indicated pregnancy terminations," are performed rarely and only when "the patient and her physician have determined that complex and critical maternal or fetal conditions threaten the life or health of the mother or developing fetus," hospital spokeswoman Sue Reimbold said.

Christ does not perform elective abortions or abortions on demand for unwanted pregnancies, Reimbold said. "This practice is something we have never done and will not do in the future," a hospital statement said.

Ten to 20 therapeutic abortions are performed at Christ Hospital each year, less than one-half of one percent of the average 3,700 deliveries annually at the hospital, she said.

But abortion opponents say that even one abortion for any reason is too many, especially at a hospital that bears a Christian name.

"We're not going to let them put into policy that they will do these elective, therapeutic or whatever-you-want-to-call-them abortions," said the Rev. Tim Harlow, pastor of Tinley Park Christian Church.

"If you want to (perform abortions) and think that way, then don't call yourself 'Christ' hospital," Harlow said. "It's a dichotomy. Call yourself something else. Call yourself Oak Lawn Hospital, but take the cross off the top of your building and change your name. Or better yet, stop doing it."

Cardinal Francis George, head of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, recently sent a private letter to Christ Hospital officials about the hospital's abortion practices. Archdiocesan officials would not comment on the content of the letter.

Harlow and other abortion proponents planned to hold a prayer vigil Saturday morning outside the hospital's main entrance.

"We want them to see us calling on God, not holding signs, not screaming, not blocking the entrance," Harlow said. "We want Christ Hospital to see that there are concerned Christians out there who believe what they are doing is wrong."

Christ Hospital is part of the Advocate Health Care network, which is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Christ. Neither Christ Hospital nor Advocate has an official policy on abortions.

The Advocate network — which also includes South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, Trinity Hospital on Chicago's Southeast Side and five others in the Chicago area — recently began to examine its need for such a policy, spokesman Dan Parker said.

"Advocate's board has created a task force that is going to look at this complicated issue and come up with a systemwide position or approach to deal with medically indicated terminations," Parker said.

A limited number of therapeutic abortions are performed at South Suburban Hospital each year, hospital spokeswoman Valerie Newson said. The hospital does not perform elective abortions, but has no written policy on abortion procedures, Newson said.

Trinity Hospital has a written policy that says it does not perform elective abortions, spokeswoman Jada Anderson said. A "small number" of therapeutic abortions are performed at Trinity each year in cases in which there is "a threat to the life of the mother or the unborn fetus," Anderson said.

All three hospitals said they would adhere to whatever policy Advocate develops in the next few months.

While Christ Hospital's practice of performing certain kinds of abortions may raise the ire of some members of the surrounding community, it does not violate the beliefs and policies of the two churches with which it is affiliated.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America policy supports the right to legal abortions. Earlier this week, at its annual national convention, the church rejected a bid to change its policy to allow abortions only in cases of rape, incest or threat to the mother's life.

The United Church of Christ has a long-standing policy supporting women's right to abortion.  That policy says in part, "Every woman must have the freedom of choice to follow her personal religious and moral convictions concerning the completion or termination of her pregnancy."

While Advocate and its hospitals strive to be sensitive to the varied needs of the communities they serve, it is difficult if not impossible to gauge collective religious or ethical beliefs, said Laurence O'Connell, a medical ethicist and president of the Park Ridge Center of Health, Faith and Ethics, a Chicago-based independent ecumenical think tank affiliated with the Advocate network.

"You are not going to please everyone," O'Connell said. "(Policy) simply can't be dictated by those who are most vocal in the community.

"We Christians have to admit that none of us has a corner on the Christian message. It's been interpreted variously throughout the ages,'' he said.

When therapeutic abortions are performed at Christ Hospital, the hospital provides grief counselors and support for the mother or family before and after the procedure, Reimbold said.

"It's seen as a tragic thing, like any fetal loss or infant loss," she said. "The hospital's goal is to provide compassionate care for the women who choose this."

Media Coverage 
St. George Pro-Life | Parkview Christian Church