OB/GYN RISKS CAREER FOR CULTURE OF LIFE
“Had I not been converted my whole family would have been lost”
Bill Hogan was a
successful ob/gyn in Silver Spring, MD in the 70's. He went to Mass every
Sunday, had a lovely wife and five children. From a world’s-eye-view, all was
fine. Then he met Fr. Malcolm Kennedy, a priest of Opus Dei.
Bill had twice been invited
by a doctor friend, Burt Gancayco, to an evening of recollection at the
Opus Dei center, but both times had come up with an excuse. The second time
however, Burt had asked, "Do you think you would ever like to
go?" Bill didn’t want to say he was against recollection and consented to
some future date. When Burt called the third time, Bill gave in. There he found
Fr. Malcolm sitting at a small table with a small light, talking about how to
live the faith in every day life. Bill liked what he heard. It was the faith he
had grown up with.
After the talk Bill was introduced to Fr. Malcolm and the tall,
lanky priest suggested, “Let’s have a chat.”
“What made you think I might want to chat?” Bill asked, in true
Irish form.
“Everyone wants to have a chat,” answered Fr. Kennedy.
“So we chatted,” Bill recalls. “When the subject turned to
contraception, I knew this would be more than just a chat.”
Bill had spoken to other priests in the past about prescribing
contraception, but they had always given him room to, as he put it, “wiggle.”
Fr. Malcolm didn’t.
“You can’t do it, Bill. It’s immoral to prescribe contraceptives.”
“I can’t not do it,” Bill retorted. “Every other Catholic
ob/gyn is doing it. If I stopped, it would complicate my life!”
“Even so, you mustn’t do it,” the priest insisted.
After that Fr. Malcolm called Bill several times, but Bill didn’t
want to confront the issue again. When Fr. Malcolm was reassigned to Rome, he
told Bill Fr. Bob Connor would be taking his place. “You’ll like him,” Fr.
Kennedy promised.
HOUND FROM HEAVEN
Bill did like the new priest, but not what he had to say. He
called Fr. Bob, “a madman: madly in love with Jesus and his mother.” He would
visit Bill at his home, his office, in his office and hospital parking lot, in
the hospital lobby, in the cafeteria, even in the delivery suite where Bill was
following two women in labor. The priest
saw something in Bill that he liked: a certain honesty, a certain generosity.
He felt that God could use Bill to do some real good in the world.
When Fr. Bob brought up contraception, Bill had his ready answer:
“If I stop prescribing birth control my practice may come to an end. I won’t be
able to feed my family, pay the mortgage or the kids’ tuition.”
Fr. Bob didn’t sugar-coat the consequences of refusing to
prescribe contraceptives. “Maybe that will be true. You may not be able to feed
your family; you may have to live in the park. But you have to do what is
morally right. And, women need a doctor who will not violate the law of God.”
What kind of priest would say such a thing? Perhaps one who knew
the cost of the “pearl of great price” (Mt 13:45, 46). And, who knew that
following Christ involves a cross.
After a pause, Fr. Bob added, “I’ll tell you what. I’m going to a
moral theology conference next week and I’ll bring up your case, anonymously of
course. Let’s see what they say.”
So off went Fr. Bob to his conference. When they got together the
following week, Bill heard what he was hoping for. “One theologian got up and
pointed out that since it would be a great hardship for you to stop doing this,
it might be okay,” said Fr. Bob. Bill breathed a sigh of relief at that, but
there was more. “Another got up and said, No, you couldn’t cooperate formally
in moral evil. Writing prescriptions for birth control is formal cooperation.”
“Bill,” said the priest, “the first one was wrong; the second was
right. You just can’t cooperate in moral evil.”
“Well, I need to get another opinion,” said Bill. Bill knew in his
heart of hearts that the good father was right, but he wanted to seek further
counsel. He had heard that Fr. Thomas O’Donnell, S. J., who had taught him
“Morals in Medicine” at Georgetown Med. School, was teaching at a seminary in
Kentucky. Bill got on the phone with Fr. O’Donnell, and he got the same answer:
“Bill, you are formally cooperating in a grave moral evil. In addition, you may
not refer a patient to a colleague because that too is formal cooperation.”
SURRENDER
Bill hung up and called Fr. Bob. “I surrender. I will stop
prescribing contraceptives.”
At 7:30 a. m. the next day Bill met with his three Catholic
partners to tell them of his decision. He announced he would be leaving the
practice and moving to another office. “Don’t do that, Bill,” his partners
objected. “Go ahead and restructure your practice to conform to the natural
moral law as you understand it.”
So that’s what he did. Bill met with all his patients, one by one,
to explain to them in detail his decision. Some were angry and left the
practice. Others seemed to understand. One Chinese woman told him, “Dr. Hogan,
I think what you are doing in following your conscience is wonderful. I will be
getting a new doctor, but I have great respect for you.” One by one, his
patients began to leave. After several months his work load had dropped off
considerably.
VICTORY
But then a curious thing began to happen. Patients began to arrive
from far and wide. Little by little his practice picked up. After a year he had
more patients than ever.
Then Bill introduced Fr. Bob to one of his partners, Dr. William
Colliton. The conversion process was repeated, and a year later Dr. Colliton
stopped prescribing contraceptives. Both doctors felt a heavy load had been
lifted from their shoulders. Both practices thrived and the two doctors were
happier than they’d ever been.
Some time later, a young doctor who had just finished his ob/gyn
residency asked to join the practice. He didn’t want to prescribe
contraceptives either. They welcomed him in. This man, Dr. John Bruchalski, now
has his own practice in Fairfax, VA, and has more patients than he can possibly
handle. People come to him from two and three hours away.
ABORTIFACIENTS
Back then, the abortifacient nature of birth control devices was
not well known. According to pharmacist Bogumir Kuhar, in his pamphlet, “Infant
Homicides through Contraceptives,” (See also Brian Clowes’ The Facts of Life)
oral contraceptives alter the uterine wall, thus forcing any conceptions which
do occur to spontaneously abort. Estimates are that the abortifacient mechanism
comes into play anywhere from two to ten per cent of female cycles. The lower
the estrogen, the safer the pill, but higher the probability of conception and
abortion. The IUD is largely, if not totally abortifacient. Norplant, six
match-stick sized implants inserted in a woman’s arm, and Depo-Provera, a
synthetic progestin injected every three months, are partly abortifacient, and
RU-486 is entirely abortifacient. It seems that every type of birth control a
doctor could prescribe with the exception of the diaphragm, is at least partly
abortifacient. Thus, a doctor who prescribes all types of birth control today,
simply cannot be pro-life. He/she is prescribing things which cause abortions.
Pray for our gynecologists. What a terrible legacy.
Many women are desperate to find an ob/gyn who doesn’t prescribe
contraceptives, but there aren’t many around. Happily, there is a national
organization which provides a list of “natural family planning-only” doctors,
called “One More Soul” (800-307-7685). They also have published a book entitled
Physicians Healed in which fifteen physicians_Catholic and
non-Catholic_tell their own story of conversion to NFP-only. For many, it was
the abortifacient nature of most “contraceptives” which convinced them.
There is something quite special about Bill Hogans conversion: it
was not over abortion. This was before the abortifacient nature of the
contraceptives was known. He converted because of the evil of contraception,
period.
Looking back on all this, Bill Hogan says now with conviction, “If
I hadn’t been converted on this, my faith and that of my five children would
have been lost.” As it is, today they are all devout followers of Christ.
NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING?
The ironic thing about our ob/gyn’s prescribing (abortifacient)
contraceptives is that the alternative, Natural family planning, is so
effective and beneficial to marriages. The sympto-thermal method, which is the
most effective type of natural birth regulation, is rated at 98% (99% when only
post-ovulation intercourse is used). These are method percentages, assuming the
method is used properly.
How does NFP work? It is based on the fact that a woman ovulates
only once per menstrual period, with a possible second but rare ovulation
within 24 hours of the first. Since the sperm has a limited life, a few days,
and the ovum lives for only about 12 hours, 24 at most, a window of fertility
can be established. Usually, the average abstinence time per cycle, for a
couple trying to avoid pregnancy, is about ten days. The time of ovulation is
accompanied by a rise of about .5° in basal body temperature (a special
thermometer is used). By measuring the quality of cervical mucus, one can
anticipate when ovulation is about to occur as well. There are other signs to
be measured, such as changes in the cervix.
There are several devices available to help measure the signs.
(The most effective of these is said to be “L-Sophia.”) For more information on
just how to practice natural family planning one can call the family life
office in the local diocese or contact the Couple to Couple League at
1-513-471-2000 (www.ccli.org).
What are some of the advantages of NFP? Greater communication, a
rediscovery of the more fundamental types of love, such as self-giving (agape)
love, affection and friendshop during the fertile times; a much lower divorce
rate (4% or lower); greater interest in and more frequent marital intercourse
overall; increased awareness of the husband of his wife’s fertility and
psychology; it is the natural alternative to pills, physical devices, drugs
(Many are into natural foods, natural childbirth, natural remedies, but artificial
birth control.); it is inexpensive; it helps both husband and wife develop
self-mastery, which is so essential to spiritual growth.
THE DOCTORS
Meanwhile, we need to be concerned about the doctors who have not
yet “converted.” What will happen to their souls? I think it’s time our
dedicated Catholic women started helping doctors do what is right.
Mothers-to-be, why not give a copy of this story to your gynecologist?
Thank God for Dr. Bill Hogan, and for Fr. Malcolm and Fr. Bob, and
for Dr’s John Bruchalski and Bill Colliton. And thank God too, for the many
doctors, male and female, who have given witness to their conversion to NFP
only, in Physicians Healed, a book published by One More Soul. All of
these doctors, Bill, John and the physicians “healed,” have given witness to
the fact that grace does not come cheaply, and that Christianity works, if
anyone is courageous enough to try it.
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