John Devlin, school trustee and active member of the Knights of Columbus [KOC] in Stratford, Ontario, expressed his disgust when he heard that the Knights had once again overwhelmingly voted in favour of financially supporting hospitals that kill unborn babies.
Convention
At their annual Ontario State Convention held in Toronto, May 17-20, the Knights voted heavily for a resolution that read:
Be it resolved that Subordinate Councils be permitted to make [charitable] donations to hospitals that perform abortions provided that the Councils specify that the charitable donations whether financial or otherwise be for non-abortion purposes and that the Councils be given written permission assurance that this will be so. The issue has been brewing for years.
For example, the Richmond Hill Knights of Columbus Council recently gave $25,000.00 to the Markham-Stouffville Hospital a large newly constructed general hospital that does abortions. Only last year this hospital got rid of a group of pro-lifers from their board by bussing in senior citizens in the area to vote for pro-abortion board members!
The resolution caused considerable debate. Most of the participants spoke in favour of it, usually on grounds of general necessity.
Treatment
One Knight, for example, said that the hospital in his small town had been there when he had a serious heart attack. The hospital, he said did abortions.
Another Knight spoke eloquently of the excellent treatment he received in a hospital that does abortions: he had had a serious car accident which had left him with steel tubing in his arms and legs.
There was an outpouring of sentiment for local hospitals and the good work that all acknowledge that they are doing in other fields.
Mr. Devlin does not agree. It is ludicrous for a Catholic organization to give even a dime to any institution that proudly does abortions under the pretext that they don’t get money from the Knights of Columbus, he told the Interim.
After all, hospitals are supported by the taxpayers, he said. KOC contributions are miniscule compared to their operating budgets.
The hospitals are just using us and thumbing their nose at us. Mr. Devlin argued.
There are a number of hospitals that don’t do abortions—-they are the ones we should be supporting, he recommended.
Worrying about our image in the community instead of being concerned about our principles is cowardly, he stated, adding, “It is hypocritical to financially support a hospital that helps bring babies into the world and then kills others at the same time.”
