What are the Ethical & Religious Directives (ERDs)?

According to Healthlaw.org, The Ethical & Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERDs) are directives promulgated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to govern Catholic health facilities. The ERDs present “a theological basis for the Catholic health care ministry,” governing the way health care is delivered in Catholic health facilities and systems, including hospitals, clinics, and managed care organizations.

How do Catholic hospitals apply the ERDs?

It depends. Some are quite literal, while others are less restrictive. A variety of factors drive the variations: the decisions of local Bishops with authority over the hospitals, disagreement among theologians about the proper interpretation of the ERDs, market forces, & sometimes simply by quietly performing prohibited services on a case-by-case basis.

The 2018 ERD updates were intended to manage Catholic hospital mergers to extend Catholic doctrine as far as possible.

This expansion puts patients at risk by imposing Catholic religious and moral teachings in place of medical expertise and standards of care. It also makes it increasingly difficult for patients to identify when their health care is being dictated by religious beliefs rather than medical decision-making. It is crucial that advocates keep these new provisions in mind when reviewing mergers and transactions involving Catholic health care facilities, and ensure that adequate protections are in place to protect continued access to all necessary health care services including a full range of reproductive and sexual health care.