Colorado Catholic Hospital Sued for Disallowing Euthanasia

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In July, Neil Mahoney was diagnosed with Stage 4 esophageal cancer at the age of 64. Mahoney has never married and has no children, and the former landscaping manager hoped to avoid putting his siblings through the burden of caring for him for what could be as long as 14 months if he continues to receive treatment.

Dr. Barbara Morris was Mahoney's physician and an employee of Centura Health Corp, a hospital in Centennial run by both the Catholic Church and the Seventh-Day Adventist community. Morris was prepared to help Mahoney end his life. This would be in direct contradiction to the Ethical & Religious Directives For Health Care Services, issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), to which Centura must adhere.

On August 21, Morris and Mahoney filed a lawsuit in state court to allow them to proceed with his suicide. Five days later, Centura fired Dr. Morris.

Colorado law is decidedly hostile to Catholic teaching. In 2016, the state's voters approved the End of Life Options Act, essentially allowing patients and doctors to participate in euthanasia. The referendum passed with a resounding 65% of the vote. A separate state law says hospitals may not "limit or otherwise exercise control" over a physician's medical judgment. The most the state will allow Centura is the right not to have the euthanizing done on its own premises — but not the right to determine if its employees can participate.

Consequently, when Centura responded to the lawsuit, it sought immediately to have it removed to federal court. The Department of Health and Human Services in the Trump Administration has sought to broaden conscience protection clauses, particularly in the health care field. However, those rules will not go into effect until at least November 22, owing to legal challenges — including from the state of Colorado.

Critics of the Catholic Church, including the Final Exit Network, an organization founded for the purpose of promoting assisted-suicide laws, have charged Centura with seeking to impose Church doctrine on those who reject it.

But in fact, Dr. Morris concedes she knew Centura was religiously affiliated but "didn't anticipate a problem." Even more, the hospital has advised Mahoney that he is free to transfer his care to a secular provider. Centura's only requirement in this entire affair has been to insist its employees uphold the Catholic principles they knew about on their hiring.

"Asking a Christian hospital to play any role in violating the dignity of human life is asking the Christian hospital to compromise its values and core mission," said Mark Haas, director of public relations for the archdiocese of Denver. "This is not the hospital forcing its beliefs upon others, but rather having outside views forced upon it."

Jason Spitalnick, attorney for Morris, says that if Centura doesn't like Colorado's laws, "they can go practice in another state." True enough, although one out of every three hospitals in Colorado operates under Catholic guidelines. Nationally, five of the top 10 hospital systems are connected to the Church.

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