I want to share with you a letter I sent today to the Bishop of Pensacola Tallahassee in Florida:
Most Rev. John H. Ricard SSJ
Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee
Monsignor James Amos Pastoral Center
11 North B St.
Pensacola, FL 32501
Your Excellency:
I am writing you this day to urge you to repudiate the Motion to Dismiss which was sent to me by the lawyers for your Diocese. As you know, I represent a victim of Monsignor Richard Bowles, a priest of your Diocese whom you removed from the ministry a few years ago after you had deemed other abuse accusations as credible.
In legal terms, the Motion to Dismiss is an affirmative defense available to you and your lawyers in civil cases brought against the church in Pensacola-Tallahassee. In the civil realm, it is within your rights to counter with such a defense.
However, as a bishop you have been charged with the care of souls, not the least of whom is my client Paul Tugwell, a victim of Monsignor Bowles and brother of one of your priests. He needs you to step in and do the right thing. He was abused as a young teenager by a priest whom he admired and trusted. As a result, Paul’s faith has been shattered. Perhaps a man of the Gospel could help restore that faith by doing what is right at this time.
You are very well aware that the prevailing law of the moment does not ensure justice and equality in all circumstances. One need only remember the landmark Supreme Court decision of 1954, Brown v. Board of Education. Before that ruling, African-Americans were subjected to an inferior education because of their color. It took a Supreme Court ruling to correct the inequity. However, that decision only addressed education. It would be another long 10 years before African Americans would win another important decision in their quest for justice. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made racial discrimination in public places, such as theaters, restaurants and hotels, illegal. It also required employers to provide equal employment opportunities.
Sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Church is also a civil rights issue. The children who’ve suffered abuse have been denied their civil rights. Their quest for justice is often stymied by antiquated or restrictive statute of limitations laws. That is why I appeal you personally to intercede for one of your own flock.
You have the power to do the right thing. Let Paul Tugwell continue his quest for justice. I look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Joseph H. Saunders
In Spite of Dangers, Drug Firms Raise Prices
In spite of problems, drug companies have raised their prices almost 13% since 2003. The first half of this year, they’ve raised prices about 5.5%. As a response to impending Medicaid reform, drug companies have raised their prices, when greater pricing pressures are expected.
FDA Will Review Drug Ads
At a time when the pharmaceutical industry has come under fire for its advertising to consumers, the FDA has decided to step in and review drug ads. The last guidelines were set in 1997 and are in dire need of review since many have died or suffered severe injury after having used these advertised drugs. Research shows that many doctors and consumers believe drug ads. The ads have been criticized for not fully disclosing their potentially letal side effects.
Celebrex Gets “Black Box” label from FDA
The FDA has finalized a new label for the drug Celebrex warning of increased cardiovascular risks such as heart attacks and strokes. The new label on Celebrex will recommend the drug be prescribed at the lowest dose and shortest time possible. The label will also carry a warning that Celebrex shouldn’t be used to treat pain associated with heart-bypass surgery. Sounds like a drug I want to take. . .
Hypocrisy or Hippocratic Oath? You Decide
Today’s Wall St. Journal’s front page featured a surgeon who has opened his own surgical center in Rapid City, South Dakota. When asked why he opened it, he responded, “Profit, profit, profit.” Dr. Larry Teuber has unabashedly claimed that he performs surgery for profit and not the public good. This neurosurgeon in South Dakota caters to the rich and those able to pay for the center’s lavish procedures. What has become of medicine and the Hippocratic oath when doctors openly proclaim, indeed boast, that they are practicing their profession merely for profit? What about the Hippocratic Oath which states in part, “I will apply for the sick, all measures which are required. . .I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person’s family and economic stability. My responsibility includes those related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.” Where did Hippocrates say, “I will only treat the rich and those who can afford my care?”
Auto Safety Initiatives Part of Latest Transportation Bill
Sweeping auto safety initiatives included in a transportation bill passed by Congress on Friday make it the most comprehensive traffic safety legislation in years. Congress is ordering the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to impose a number of more stringent safety measures, including the first performance standards aimed at decreasing the likelihood of a rollover. Currently, the agency conducts rollover testing, but the results are only used to determine star ratings on cars and light trucks for consumer information. In addition, 15-passenger vans will be subject for the first time to government crash tests.
Vioxx Manufacturer Suffers Setback in Trial
Yesterday, jurors heard videotaped testimony from the pathologist who said that the death Robert Ernst, a 59 year old triathlete taking the painkiller Vioxx was more than likely caused by a heart attack, damaging Merck’s defense in the first Vioxx trial nationwide. The videotaped testimony was shown almost immediately after the Texas Supreme Court denied Merck’s attempt to stop jurors from hearing it. The testimony is crucial because Merck has acknowledged a link between Vioxx and heart attacks and strokes, but has maintained that there is no such link between Vioxx and arrhythimias. The pathologist’s testimony gives a big boost to one of the plaintiff’s biggest challenges, which was making a link between Vioxx and arrhythmia. After a Merck lawyer asked the pathologist whether she was changing her story in the autopsy report, Dr. Araneta replied, “I’m not changing my opinion, I’m just explaining it further. That’s the autopsy report, but it’s not the end of the story.”
Apparently not, although Merck would like it to be.
New England Journal of Medicine: Hospitals Neglecting Lifesaving Treatments
In a report published early last month, the New England Journal of Medicine reported that many hospitals across the country neglected to provide their patients with life saving treatments, even when the treatments were basic. For instance, even though just about everyone in medicine agrees that a patient that arrives in the emergency room with a heart attack should be administered aspirin, many patients don’t get that aspirin or nine other crucial therapies for heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia. This is in spite of the fact that the aspirin therapy has been proven to cut death rates by nearly 25%.
Church’s Inconsistent Mea Culpa
Last year, Cardinal Keeler of Baltimore and a dozen priests of the Archdiocese of Baltimore knelt before 100 parishioners at a Maryland church in a public act of atonement for what some of their fellow priests had done to young parishioners. Yet, in spite of this highly publicized confession, the Archdiocese of Baltimore is unyielding in actually providing real help to victims. In fact, the church’s response throughout the United States has been inconsistent at best and at times cold and calculating. The document the bishops approved “The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” urges dioceses to reach out and “demonstrate a sincere commitment” to the spiritual and emotional well-being of all victims. However, the rhetoric has not been followed up with action. The Charter called for measures and standards to treat victims but glossed over the most important aspect that would promote healing, namely, components of empathy and compassion.
New Twist in Vioxx Trial
A pathologist’s testimony in the nation’s first Vioxx trial has dealt a blow to Vioxx’s manufacturer Merck & Co. Dr. Maria Araneta the pathologist who performed the crucial 2001 autopsy on Robert Ernst stated in deposition testimony that Ernst’s death from arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat, was probably brought on by a heart attack even though such an admission was not noted in her autopsy report. Her opinion counters Vioxx maker Merck & Co.’s reliance on her report to bolster its position that Mr. Ernst didn’t have a heart attack. “Arrhythmia does not spontaneously occur. Something must trigger it,” Dr. Araneta stated in her deposition on Tuesday.