October 2022 – Religious involvement in healthcare
Religious involvement in healthcare
Dr. Peter Boylan, opponent of religious involvement in the National Maternity Hospital and campaigner for a Yes vote in the 2018 abortion referendum, talked about religious involvement in healthcare.
Dr. Peter Boylan
Dr. Boylan is a former Master of the National Maternity Hospital and former Chair of the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. He was appointed by the Minister for Health to advise the HSE on the implementation of the Termination of Pregnancy Service in 2019. He is the author of In the Shadow of the Eighth: My Forty Years Working for Women’s Healthcare in Ireland (Penguin, 2018) and, with Dr. Jennifer Walsh, The Irish Pregnancy Book (6th edition, O’Brien Press, 2020).
Over €1 billion in funding
The Catholic Church owns seven public hospitals, which amounts to 20% of public hospital beds in Ireland. They received over €1 billion in funding from the HSE in 2020, and that number is likely higher this year, Dr. Boylan said. 66% of private hospitals in Ireland have a Catholic ethos. Also, the new National Maternity Hospital is set to be owned by a Vatican-approved private company, Dr. Boylan said.
Treatments are not allowed
Abortions, sterilisations, and other treatments are not allowed at these hospitals because of their Catholic ethos. On these matters, Dr. Boylan said, canon law trumps state law. Article 44.2.5 of the Constitution protects the right of every religious denomination to manage its own affairs. The Irish Supreme Court has yet to interpret the extent of this autonomy in a healthcare context.
Taking over religious hospitals
Dr. Boylan said conservative American Catholic organisations are taking over religious hospitals around the world as religious orders leave direct care. This has already happened in Ireland with the Bon Secours, the largest private hospital group in the country. It merged with Bon Secours Mercy Health, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It receives substantial funding from the HSE. “This is big business,” Dr. Boylan said. “American influence is likely to grow with the passage of time.”
Lobby your TDs
Dr. Boylan encouraged HAI members to lobby their TDs. David McConnell, HAI President, encouraged him to write an article to raise public awareness of these issues.
A recording of the event is available to view here.