Life Advocacy Briefing # 8-34--week of Sept. 3, 2001

'Terminated'

WHEN WHISTLE-BLOWER NURSE JILL STANEK REPORTED FOR DUTY at Chicago's south suburban "Christ" Hospital Friday night after a two-week vacation, she was directed to meet with her supervisor. The moment had come: Jill Stanek had to go. Advocate Health Systems, whose live-birth abortions Mrs. Stanek exposed in 1999, could no longer tolerate having such a thorn inside one of its flagship institutions. Advocate is a joint operation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and United Church of Christ.

Her firing came less than a week after The Daily Southtown, a widely read newspaper in Chicago's south suburbs, published a lengthy story featuring her courageous stand for justice for 15-to-24-week babies whose birth is induced early to terminate their lives. Mrs. Stanek not only revealed the abortion practice at the nominally religious hospital but also testified before Congress and the state legislature about several tragedies in which aborted babies survived their premature births and were provided no medical assessment or intervention though living for as long as eight hours.

A hospital spokesman Sunday "said the [Southtown] article had nothing to do with the decision to let [Mrs.] Stanek go [sic]," writes the Chicago Tribune's Tom McCann. " 'She was the main reason our hospital became the center of attention in the abortion debate,' [the spokesman] said. 'But that had nothing to do with it.' "

News of the punitive action did reach Mrs. Stanek's state senator, however, in time for Mr. McCann's story. Sen. Patrick O'Malley (R), who resigned from "Christ" Hospital's governing council two years ago when the hospital refused to stop committing abortions, called Mrs. Stanek " 'one of the most courageous women I have ever met. ... I'm astounded they fired such a talented professional,' " he told Mr. McCann. " 'They're losing one of their best.' "

The hospital's "vice president for mission and spiritual care," acknowledged in the Tribune that "the hospital typically performs only [sic] 15 to 20 labor-induced abortions out of more than 4,000 deliveries each year. ... He said," reports Mr. McCann, "the practice is common at hospitals across the nation," adding cause for Congress to enact the Born Alive Infants Protection Act to clarify that babies born alive are persons entitled to appropriate medical assessment and care, regardless of whether their birth was caused by abortion.

One statement Mrs. Stanek was willing to give to Southtown reporter Paige Fox even before reaching her attorney: " 'I will continue to speak out on behalf of the babies who were aborted alive at Christ,' she said," in the Southtown story on her dismissal. " 'I'll continue to do what I can to stop the abortions there.' " In a message to her electronic mail contact list -- supporters she calls "prayer warriors" -- she predicts she "will actually be freer to speak than before." And she requests, "Please continue to pray for the babies and for the situation."

copyright Life Advocacy Resource Project, Inc., 2001

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