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CHRIST HOSPITAL, NETWORK TO ALLOW FEWER
ABORTIONS
By Jeremy Manier
Tribune Staff Writer
October 14, 1999
Doctors in the health care network that
includes Christ Hospital and Medical Center in Oak Lawn will no longer perform abortions
on fetuses with non-lethal birth defects, said officials of Advocate Health Care, the
hospital's parent, on Wednesday. The move follows months of protests against the hospital
by anti-abortion groups.
The new policy means women cannot get abortions through Advocate if their fetus' only
defect is Down syndrome or spina bifida, which are not necessarily fatal. Advocate still
will provide abortions in cases of rape or incest, when the mother's life or health is in
danger, or when the fetus has severe defects that would prevent survival.
The move did not satisfy some abortion
opponents, who said they are offended that any abortions occur at a place called Christ
Hospital. The policy also does not stop the hospital's use of a controversial
labor-induction abortion procedure that sometimes results in fetuses surviving outside the
womb for an hour or more.
"This policy is still distressing and disappointing," said Karen Hayes, Illinois
director of Concerned Women for America, an anti-abortion group.
Abortion opponents began holding candlelight vigils at Christ last summer after Jill
Stanek, a nurse in the delivery ward, raised questions about labor-induction abortions at
the hospital.
Stanek, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday, said in earlier interviews that
she had seen one aborted baby, whose only problem appeared to be Down syndrome, survive
for about 45 minutes. Christ had performed some abortions on such fetuses before the new
policy, Advocate officials said Wednesday.
One purpose of Wednesday's action was to set a unified policy for all eight Advocate
hospitals, said Rev. Carol Munro Mosley, associate pastor at St. Paul's United Church of
Christ and a member of Advocate's board of directors.
Under the new policy, abortions in the Advocate system will be performed only at Christ
and at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
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