Catholic hospital says fetus defense was ‘morally wrong’

Legal advice trumped church teaching when a Catholic hospital in Colorado tried to defend itself in a wrongful death lawsuit by claiming that twin fetuses who died at the hospital in 2006, along with the mother, should not be considered persons.

After an uproar that prompted an investigation by Colorado bishops, the hospital apologized in early February and said attorneys for St. Thomas More Hospital in Cañon City were “morally wrong” to make that argument, even though state law does not consider a fetus a legal person.

In a statement, the hospital’s owner, Catholic Health Initiatives, reiterated its agreement with the state’s bishops and its “strict adherence” to church teaching “that every person is created in the image and likeness of God and that life begins at the moment of conception.”