RT Article
T1 The Moral Object in the “Phoenix Case”: A Defense of Sister McBride’s Decision
JF Christian bioethics
VO 18
IS 3
SP 301
OP 311
A1 McCruden, Patrick
LA English
PB Oxford University Press
YR 2012
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/178030014X
AB The “Phoenix Case” brought into public scrutiny a contemporary debate in Catholic moral theology over competing views on the relation of the object of the act to the physical structure of acts that arise from moral choices. A procedure that was described by hospital officials and their parent company as an indirect abortion was judged by the local ordinary, Bishop Thomas Olmsted, as a direct abortion. A debate ensued between Bishop Olmsted and Catholic Health Care West and their advisors. Eventually, Bishop Olmsted excommunicated Sister Margaret Mary McBride for her role on the ethics committee approving the procedure and publicly announced his refusal to recognize the hospital as authentically Catholic. This author addresses the theological position of the hospital and addresses implications for other professionals in Catholic health care facing similar dilemmas.
DO 10.1093/cb/cbs026