Dear Friends in Christ,

From the beginning (Gen. 3:15) we have been put on notice regarding the battle between good and evil, life and death. (Dt 30:15) Our Lord Himself reminded us that, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” (John 15:20)

So, it should come as no surprise with the release of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs ending the illusory constitutional right to abortion, that we have witnessed an aggressive, relentless and at times violent assault on individuals and institutions upholding the inalienable right to life of every human being from conception to natural death. It even went so far as the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate warning those who would oppose a woman’s right to abortion, “I want to tell you…You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price.”

The Senator’s warning is essentially a declaration of war, but it is not merely a political or cultural war as he undoubtedly imagines it. For he and his supporters “have been blinded by the god of this age so that they cannot see the light of the gospel“( (2 Cor 4:4) nor recognize that this is a spiritual battle, “not against flesh and blood…but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil…” (Eph 6:12) As we vigorously defend the rights of the unborn, we must also pray for God’s mercy for our opponents whose eternal destiny is at stake. Recall the prayer of Jesus on the Cross for those who put Him to death, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:24)

It is essential to recognize this because “although we are in the flesh…our weapons are not of the flesh but are enormously powerful…We destroy arguments and every pretension against the knowledge of God.” (2 Cor 10:3-5) Therefore we are engaged in intellectual and spiritual warfare to defend the Truth in Charity, transforming the minds and hearts of unbelievers, and thereby eventually ending abortion by rendering it unconscionable.

It was for this reason the CHCLA was formed in response to an inspiration of the Holy Spirit during the Convocation of Catholic Leaders in 2017 - to respond to the relentless, demonic assault on life, freedom and truth in healthcare in America. Through educational initiatives, prayer and evangelization, public advocacy and the support and collaboration of our members, we are engaging the enemy with powerful intellectual and spiritual weapons to defeat the culture of death and to reestablish a culture of life and love throughout the ministry of health care.

We will continue to detail our efforts each month in this newsletter and on our website. Please share this information with friends and colleagues and if you have questions or suggestions regarding the mission, please contact us. Please pray for the work and consider how you can contribute your time, talent or treasure to ensure that united as the Mystical Body of Christ we prevail in defense of life, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Sincerely in Christ,

Steven White, M.D.

President, Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance

Past President, Catholic Medical Association

CHCLA Board Member is Published in The Federalist

on EMTALA and Abortion

CHCLA board member Joshua McCaig published a piece in The Federalist magazine about how the Biden Administration is silently erasing "Unborn Child" in legal arguments pushing abortion on religious medical workers. He provides a legal analysis of EMTALA and highlights the work that Catholic health care workers are doing to protect freedom of conscience.

CHCLA allied founding organization, the Catholic Medical Association, responded to the EMTALA abortion mandate on Sept. 14 by showing its support for a resolution proposed by members of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

In August, CHCLA published a press release applauding the Texas Court's opinion in favor of religious health care providers enjoining HHS from enforcing it's EMTALA abortion mandate in Texas.

To read the article, please click here.

The CHCLA would like to extend a special thank you to the Religious Sisters of Mercy who invited the Board to Alma, Michigan for our annual Board retreat. It was a blessed time, one of prayer and fellowship, and a time to experience the good works that the Religious Sisters of Mercy are engaged in.

Msgr. James Shea, the President of the University of Mary, joined us and led the retreat, and we were all blessed by his words of encouragement as we engage in this work to advance the healing ministry of Christ in the culture. The Religious Sisters of Mercy operate the Sacred Heart Mercy Health Care Center in Alma and we were able to spend time with Sister Mary Sarah Macht, RSM, FNP, and Sister Teresa Mary Kozlovski, RSM, MD who graciously provided us with a tour of the clinic as we discussed the blessings and challenges faced by Catholic clinics, an issue that is on the heart and mind of CHCLA.

This retreat was a joyful reprieve from our daily work, and we will fondly remember the warm hospitality and much laughter. A particular thank you to Sr. Brigid Mary Meeks, RSM, for making the arrangements for the retreat and for Bishop James Conley for assisting with inviting Msgr. Shea to join us.

To meet the CHCLA Board of Directors, visit the website here.

Arina Grossu, former senior communications advisor in the HHS Office for Civil Rights and consultant to CHCLA, has written the Washington Insider for The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly. The piece offers post-Dobbs and post-Roe analysis, strategy, regulatory, and legislative updates.

Grossu’s top 10 recommendations for pro-life strategy after Dobbs are:

To read the full article, please click here.

The CHCLA submitted a public comment on the Biden administration’s proposed rule that would force doctors and hospitals to provide gender transition procedures and abortions against their conscience and religious freedom rights and encourages others to do so as well. Any individual or organization can voice their objections before the rule is finalized. Public comments may be submitted through October 3, 2022 at 11:59 PM ET.

For CHCLA's public comment, click here.

For CHCLA's press release on this proposed rule, click here.

For instructions on what to include in a public comment, click here.

The 2022 Conference will be October 13-15, 2022 in Dallas, Texas

It will be held on November 12, 2022 from 10 AM to 4 PM at the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

The Symposium for the Advancement of Catholic Health Care is a 3-year initiative of CHCLA to bring together leading experts in medicine, law, bioethics, health care administration, and myriad other specialties to discuss Catholic health care and lead the way for the future. CHCLA is grateful for the sponsors of this ongoing Symposium, including the Center for Law & The Human Person at the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America who is co-sponsoring and hosting the first event of this Symposium!

To register for the Symposium, please click here.

The National Catholic Bioethics Center is holding it 50th anniversary celebration on November 12th from 6 PM to 8 PM at the St. John Paul II National Shrine. The NCBC will be honoring Sr. Jane Marie Klein, OSF and Franciscan Alliance.

To register for this event, please click here.