Remember This!

A sad and twisted thought came upon my mind.
Something so sadistic that should be left behind.

I thought about those who have died so soon, and what I was doing when they met their doom.

I thought about myself, about my blood and my tears.
Living with nothing but pain and my tormented fears.

I noticed something that just didn’t seem right.
Something to make you cry and shiver in the night.

Every time you smile, another child cries.
Every time you’re happy another person dies.

When everything’s going right and it’s the best day of your life,
someone out there has had enough and is picking up that knife.

Every time you have someone another person is alone,
every time you feel loved another child is on their own.

When your parents are hugging you and showering you with kisses,
some child out there is being beaten by parents who are making death wishes.

Every time you see the light another child only sees the dark. Every time you’re healthy another person is cutting a fresh mark.

So remember this next time you’re having a good day,
another someone out there is dying in some way.

Christian And Christ Like There is A Difference!

Back in November 2009 a 20 year old woman was admited into St. Joseph's hospital in Phoenix, AZ. The woman was suffering from Pulmunary Hypertension and her condition was being worsened by her pregnancy to the point where her death was imminent. Due to the severity of the situation doctors decided to end the pregnanacy in order to save the woman's life. Sounds like the right thing to do right? Well, not according to the Catholic Church.

You see St. Joseph's is an affiliate of the Roman Catholic Church which means that in order to maintain that affiliation the hospital has to agree to certain bioethics that the church has, which are based on the Catholic teachings. Linda Hunt, St. Joseph's CEO stated, “Consistent with our values of dignity and justice, if we are presented with a situation in which a pregnancy threatens a woman’s life, our first priority is to save both patients. If that is not possible we will always save the life we can save, and that is what we did in this case, We continue to stand by the decision, which was made in collaboration with the patient, her family, her caregivers, and our Ethics Committee. Morally, ethically, and legally we simply cannot stand by and let someone die whose life we might be able to save.”

However Bishop Thomas Olmstead, the head of the Phoenix Diocese sees it his way, "An unborn child is not a disease," Olmstead said in response to the hospital's statement. "While medical professionals should certainly try to save a pregnant mother's life, the means by which they do it can never be by directly killing her unborn child. The end does not justify the means and if a Catholic formally cooperates in the procurement of an abortion, they are automatically excommunicated by that action."



In a letter written last month to the president of Catholic Healthcare West, the parent company of St. Joseph's Hospital, Olmstead said he wanted more oversight of the hospital to make sure it complies with Catholic healthcare. He wants acknowledgment that he was right and the hospital was wrong in its interpretation of the church's directive on "indirect abortions." "There cannot be a tie in this debate," Olmsted wrote. "Until this point in time, you have not acknowledged my authority to settle this question."

So what does St. Joseph's hospital get for trying to do the right thing? The Bishop has stripped the hospital of it's Catholic affiliation. Which means the hospital is not allowed to hold mass and Communion wafers that Catholics believe to be the body of Christ would also be removed from the site.

So based on the last quote by the Bishop is this really about whether the proper actions were taken by St. Joseph's or is more about "I'm right, your wrong"? Here is where my opinion comes in. First and foremost Bishop Thomas Olmstead and  the Catholic church or any church for that matter should stay out of healthcare! Unless the Bishop has an M.D. (He doesn't) I don't want him telling any hospital or doctor how to treat patients. Seriously, doesn't the Catholic Church have bigger internal problems to deal with?!

So now because of the Bishop's apparent power trip the families of the patients admitted there will not be able to find the spiritual guidence and comfort in their most desperate of times?! Real Christian thing to do there Catholic church! Apparently this Bishop has forgotten the difference between being "Christian" and "Christ Like", There is a difference!