Speakers discuss ethical questions in health care 

More than 100 physicians and other health-care professionals, clergy, religious and seminarians attended the Converging Roads medical ethics conference on Saturday, April 24 at the Pontifical College Josephinum’s Jessing Center.

The conference was presented by the Texas-based St. John Paul II Foundation, which is a national Catholic apostolate promoting life and family through education and formation, and supported by the Catholic Medical Association of Central Ohio and the Diocese of Columbus.

National speakers from several medical disciplines covered topics ranging from health care in a secular society, moral decision-making, support for the human person in the womb and at the end of life, the merger of faith and ethics in medicine, the opioid crisis and health care for the poor.

The program included an opportunity for confession and a blessing of Catholic medical and nursing students by Father Bob Penhallurick, chaplain of the medical association and pastor at Hilliard St. Brendan Church.

The lone local presenter was Dr. Ashley Fernandes, an associate professor of pediatrics and associate director of the Center for Bioethics at Ohio State University’s College of Medicine. His talk covered physician-assisted suicide, religious and ethical convictions of medical professionals, and freedom to exercise conscience rights and religious liberty.

Dr. Robin Pierucci, a neonatologist, emphasized the importance of palliative medicine not only in caring for a child before and after birth but for the mother’s and the family’s well-being physically, mentally and spiritually.

Dr. Cynthia Hunt, chair of the Catholic Medical Association’s National Opioid Task Force, addressed the opioid crisis in the United States and discussed ways the Catholic medical professions and hospitals can respond. She cited areas in Ohio where addiction is particularly prominent, such as Dayton and Portsmouth. 

Hunt spoke about a Catholic family in Portsmouth who lost a son who was an exceptional student but became involved with heroin and fentanyl in college, appeared to recover and then relapsed and died from an overdose.

In his presentation, Dr. Thomas McGovern, a surgeon who co-hosts the Doctor, Doctor weekly radio program on EWTN, described the challenges of practicing medicine as a Catholic in a secular society. 

Other presenters were Dr. Greg Burke, on medicine and morals; nurse DiAnn Ecret, on morally optional and morally obligatory treatment; and Dr. Claudia Sotomayor, on health care for the poor.   

Attendees also recited a Promise of the Catholic Healthcare Provider, which could be characterized as a Catholic version of the Hippocratic Oath and was led by Dr. Bruce Maskarinec, of Pittsburgh, and his daughter, Jennifer, a medical student at Ohio State University.

Among the promises in the pledge are continuing professional improvement, treating all patients as human persons without prejudice, defending and protecting human life from conception to natural death, refusing to take part in violent or oppressive applications of medicine, serving public health and promoting the dignity of the person, cooperating with the law except when grounds exist for conscientious objection based on when civil law does not respect human rights, and donating care of the poor.

Conference coordinator Sara Dietz said those in attendance expressed appreciation for the opportunity to gather as Catholic health-care professionals. 

“What a gift to be with so many compassionate professionals discussing what matters most: our faith forming our vocation,” an attendee said. “It was a bit of healing for my COVID-weary heart.”

Another participant said, “Being Catholic in health care is challenging, and getting many doctors, nurses and health-care administrators together in the room to support each other was amazing.”

David England, one of several seminarians from the Diocese of Columbus in attendance, said they gained insights from the speakers and interacted with them during the conference.

“We’re here because, once we are ordained, an important focus of our ministry is likely to be in caring for the sick, the infirm, for birth and end-of-life concerns, for mental health issues and for a wide range of other health-care needs,” he said.

The conference concluded with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Robert Brennan in the Josephinum’s St. Turibius Chapel.