Secular Biotechnologies That Threaten Catholic Healthcare

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Over the past several decades, there has been an evolution of secular biotechnologies in development that currently threaten the Catholic identity of Catholic healthcare. These technologies include the following:

1. Biologics: Protein drugs: 20 percent of proteins manufactured by the pharmaceutical industry are produced from cell lines derived from aborted fetal tissue.

2. Gene therapy: The majority of gene therapies are produced from cell lines derived from an aborted fetus. There are currently over 600 clinical trials currently in progress.

3. Vaccines: Cancer vaccines are currently using cells lines from aborted fetal tissue.

4. Cell therapy: Cell therapies using human embryonic stem cells or fetal stem cells are currently in clinical trials to treat spinal cord injury, Multiple Sclerosis and Juvenile Diabetes

The Catholic identify among Catholic hospitals could change because the majority of these products have to be administered under a hospital setting.

How do these products threaten the Catholic identity for hospitals, pro-life healthcare practitioners and pro-life patients?

1. Catholic hospitals will have to make a decision on whether to adopt these products and risk losing their Catholic identity or risk losing market share to non-religious hospitals.

2. Pro-life healthcare practitioners (doctors, nurses and pharmacists) working in non-religious hospitals risk employments if exercise their moral conscience and refuse to administer these products.

3. Pro-life patients may have no other therapeutic options but to accept a product derived from a human embryo or aborted fetus.​