September, 2007

Annual Diocesan "Blue Mass" on Sunday, September 9, will honor Police, Fire, and Emergency Medical Services personnel; 9/11 fallen will be remembered especially on the 6th anniversary of the terrorist attacks

Statement of the Connecticut Catholic Bishops on Plan B and Catholic Hospitals

Statement of the Connecticut Catholic Bishops on Plan B and Catholic Hospitals

 

HARTFORD, Thursday, September 27, 2007- The Catholic Bishops of Connecticut, joined by the leaders of the four Catholic hospitals in the State, issue the following statement regarding the administration of Plan B in Catholic hospitals to victims of rape:

"The four Catholic hospitals in the State of Connecticut remain committed to providing competent and compassionate care to victims of rape. In accordance with Catholic moral teaching, these hospitals provide emergency contraception after appropriate testing. Under the existing hospital protocols, this includes a pregnancy test and an ovulation test. Catholic moral teaching is adamantly opposed to abortion, but not to emergency contraception for victims of rape.

"This past spring the Governor signed into a law 'An Act Concerning Compassionate Care for Victims of Sexual Assault,' passed by the State Legislature. It does not allow medical professionals to take into account the results of the ovulation test.

"The Bishops and other Catholic health care leaders believe that this law is seriously flawed, but not sufficiently to bar compliance with it at the present time. We continue to believe this law should be changed.

"Nonetheless, to administer Plan B pills in Catholic hospitals to victims of rape a pregnancy test to determine that the woman has not conceived is sufficient. An ovulation test will not be required. The administration of Plan B pills in this instance cannot be judged to be the commission of an abortion because of such doubt about how Plan B pills and similar drugs work and because of the current impossibility of knowing from the ovulation test whether a new life is present. To administer Plan B pills without an ovulation test is not an intrinsically evil act.

"Since the teaching authority of the Catholic Church has not definitively resolved this matter and since there is serious doubt about how Plan B pills work, the Catholic Bishops of Connecticut have stated that Catholic hospitals in the State may follow protocols that do not require an ovulation test in the treatment of victims of rape. A pregnancy test approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration suffices.

" If it becomes clear that Plan B pills would lead to an early chemical abortion in some instances, this matter would have to be reopened."

The four Catholic hospitals in Connecticut are: St. Francis Hospital, Hartford; St. Mary's Hospital, Waterbury; St. Raphael's Hospital, New Haven; and St. Vincent's Medical Center, Bridgeport.

To read Bishop William Lori's blog entry on Plan B, click here

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NORWALK - The sixth annual Diocesan "Blue Mass" will be celebrated by Bishop William E. Lori on Sunday, September 9, at 11 a.m. at Saint Mary Parish, 669 West Avenue, Norwalk.

Co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Councils, the Blue Mass honors Catholic police, fire, and emergency medical services personnel who dedicate their lives to the safety of others in Fairfield County, every day of the year.

Remembrance

During the Mass (called "blue" for the color of service uniforms), prayers are said in remembrance of those who have lost their lives in the line of duty, particularly those who perished six years ago during the 9/11 attacks.

The Mass will be preceded by a procession of uniformed police, firefighters, and EMS personnel known as the "Outside Command." It will proceed down West Avenue and end at the church, where participants will be seated as a group for the Mass.

A reception will follow Mass.

The Blue Mass is open to the public and all Catholic first responders and their families are encouraged to attend. Uniformed personnel should arrive by 10:45 a.m. to participate in the opening procession.

Accredited members of the media are also invited to attend.

Affirm and Encourage

"The Blue Mass is an occasion to affirm and encourage those who devoted themselves to that noble duty of protecting the life and property of our fellow citizens," says Bishop Lori. "Each time I see a patrol car or hear a fire engine or an ambulance, I realize that men and women have heard the Lord's call to 'love one another.' In the words of the Lord, 'No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends'" (John 15:13).

Honorees receiving the annual 9/11 Special Award this year are Firefighter Jeffery Thompson of the Westport Fire Department; Police Officer James Pauciello of the Fairfield Police Department; and Emergency Medical Technician Charles Hannon of Darien's EMS squad. They were chosen from among more than 90 police, fire, and EMS departments in the county after being nominated by their respective chiefs.

(The Blue Mass is supported financially by a special fund established by the Knights of Columbus. Those wishing to contribute to it may contact Mike Basso: 334-2816, or e-mail mbassoj@aol.com.)

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