Catholic Aid for Abortion Creates Stir in Virginia

By Ian Urbina / The New York Times
The Roman Catholic bishop of Richmond, Va., apologized this week after workers from a Catholic organization helped a teenager in its care have an abortion. The situation involved a 16-year-old Guatemalan, who church officials said already had one child and wanted to end her pregnancy, said Stephen S. Neill, a spokesman for the bishop. The girl was being cared for by a program that helps illegal immigrant children in the country without guardians obtain foster care, Mr. Neill said. She received the abortion in January after a staff member of Commonwealth Catholic Charities signed a consent form and after a volunteer drove her to the facility, he said. Four staff members were fired in March in connection with the case, Mr. Neill said.
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Related:
Richmond Bishop, Catholic Charities Knew Teen Was Getting Abortion
Richmond Times Dispatch
The bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond and the head of Commonwealth Catholic Charities knew in advance that a 16-year-old girl under the diocese's care was planning to have an abortion. Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo and the Commonwealth Catholic Charities Executive Director Joanne Nattrass knew beforehand that the girl was getting an abortion in January, according to a diocese spokesman. Nattrass told the bishop there was nothing they could do to stop the teen from aborting her pregnancy, said Catholic Diocese of Richmond's spokesman Stephen S. Neill.

Posted by Editor at July 3, 2008 05:59 AM