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Opinion: Catholic hospitals shouldn't be forced to secularize

Government must be neutral. Refusing to perform procedures due to beliefs isn't discrimination and transfer arrangements exist

The Sisters of St. Martha have handed over the hospital they managed in Antigonish for 120 years. Their leader, Sister Brendalee Boisvert, said the timing felt right. It was their choice, made freely.

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A recent Globe and Mail column took this moment to make a different argument. The author, André Picard, wants every Catholic hospital in Canada to either give up its beliefs or leave health care. He suggests cutting public funding to any that refuse.

Opinion: Catholic hospitals shouldn't be forced to secularize Back to video

The column briefly acknowledges Catholic history. It praises the Augustinian Sisters and admits that Catholic hospitals provided most health care in Canada for three centuries. It even notes that faith and ritual can play a key role in healing.

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