this issue
previous article in this issuenext article in this issue

Document Details :

Title: Methodological and Practical Issues in the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services
Author(s): KELLY, David F.
Journal: Louvain Studies
Volume: 23    Issue: 4   Date: winter 1998   
Pages: 321-337
DOI: 10.2143/LS.23.4.542274

Abstract :
On November 17, 1994, at their annual meeting, The National Conference of Catholic Bishops approved 'The Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services' (henceforth simply 'Directives'). The previous version of the Directives, entitled 'Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Facilities,' dates from 1971 with a minor revision in 1975. The experience of many of us who work in Catholic hospitals suggests that, due to the twenty year gap in revisions, the 1971 Directives had not for some years been centrally important, at least explicitly, in actual hospital practice. But with the new revision and promulgation, there has been renewed attention given them and they have in some sense become the standard with which American Catholic hospitals must comply in order to be officially 'Catholic.'

Download article