By Marie Mulvenna

While stating it “would be an error to turn the abortion question into a Catholic crusade – this would be counter-productive,” Dr. John T. Noonan Jr., told delegates to the Catholic Health Assembly here that the only way to restore protection to the unborn fetus “is through an amendment to the United States Constitution.”

Dr. Noonan, professor of law at the University of California at Berkeley, told 1,500 health care administrators that their “mission is one of education in the spirit of charity; your purpose is to promote respect for each other as persons.”

He told delegates that they were in a position to speak to the community about some of the central issues facing society today. “In our culture today we have the decay of Christian structures and at the same time the quest for beliefs,” he said.

He challenged delegates to “confront the Americans who are torn between the hope that is there for faith and values and the terrible suppressions that are now occurring as to birth and death.”

“One issue which is of great importance is abortion,” he said. “Dr. Noonan called on Catholics to communicate their stand on abortion, stating that the Supreme Court decision had refused to recognize a person exited during the entire nine months of pregnancy.

They consider the fetus a non-person. That message, he said, “must be repeated over and over – there is no protection accorded the fetus for the entire term of pregnancy.”

He said abortions could be performed, according to the various regulations and state laws, even in the final months when it involved the health of the mother or her psychological condition.

He told members of the Catholic Hospital Association that they had a distinct role in sponsoring laws, adding that some states now have so-called conscience laws protecting nurses and physicians, although he admitted that such laws might be problematic for professionals when it came to medical employment and education.

“Very few states have laws protecting the live fetus from being sold and used for experimentation,” he said, urging members to emulate the state of Minnesota where state law requires counseling of the person seeking an abortion and alternative measures to the abortion are presented to the person at such a time.

In order to obtain a Constitutional amendment he said Catholics “must be involved in the political arena.” He said he could not understand those who say that the prophetic Church has no place in the political arena, stating that it is appropriate to seek political redress through honest appeals and the honest circulation of opinion.

He cautioned against making the effort solely a Catholic crusade, saying the role of Catholics was not one of battle but one of education of their fellow Americans about the fetus. “If any amendment is passed,” he said, “it will be as a result of education.”

Dr. Noonan also called for more personal contact with patients in hospitals, saying they should always be regarded as persons, never as objects.

They must, he said, be brought into the concept of Christian community which has to permeate every Catholic health facility. Such hospitality must be extended to the family and friends of the patient as well, he said.

He described the role of Catholics in the health field as one of “vicarial responsibility,” acting for another the way Christ acted for others. “Your role is an exemplary one,” he said, “to give an example of response and concern to other persons. You are called to follow Christ and to perform actions others will imitate.”