Covid-19: U.S. Bishops warn
against patient discrimination
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| Testing for Coronavirus in New York City Hospital (2020 Getty Images) |
The United States Catholic Bishops issue a statement calling
for equal access to health services without discrimination during the
Coronavirus pandemic.
By Vatican News
The rapid spread of the Coronavirus continues to strain
health care systems’ ability to save lives. In many countries, the lack of
respirators and intensive care units is forcing doctors and nurses to face
dramatic choices between who to treat – and who not.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
published a statement on their website on 3 April, addressing this issue. Any
discrimination on the basis of age or disability is ethically unacceptable,
they say.
No discrimination or exclusion
“Every crisis produces fear, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no
exception”, reads the statement. “However, this is not a time to sideline our
ethical and moral principles. It is a time to uphold them ever more strongly”.
“In a time of crisis we must not discriminate against
persons solely on the basis of disability or age by denying them medical care”,
continue the Bishops. “Good and just stewardship of resources cannot include
ignoring those on the periphery of society, but must serve the common good of
all, without categorically excluding people based on ability, financial
resources, age, immigration status, or race”.
Praise for healthcare workers
The Bishops praise health care workers for their “courage,
compassion, and truly remarkable professional care in a time of growing
crisis”. But they also address the scarcity of medical resources, noting how
this reality “will require patients, their families and medical professionals,
to work together in weighing the benefits and burdens of care, the needs and
safety of everyone, and how to distribute resources in a prudent, just, and
unbiased way”.
“With our Holy Father, Pope Francis”, concludes the
statement, “the entire Church continues to pray for, and offer support to, all
those affected by this pandemic.”
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