By Associated Press
Louisville, KY – A pending merger of three Kentucky hospitals has some people worried that Catholic doctrine could override patients' end-of-life wishes. Under the proposed merger, University Hospital in Louisville will join Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare and St. Joseph Health System, whose parent company is Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives. When the merger was announced last month, officials said all the merged hospitals will follow Catholic health care directives. According to The Courier-Journal, many wealthier patients could simply choose a different hospital. But indigent patients have little choice but University Hospital for treatment, including end-of-life care. That has some worried about how end-of-life decisions will be affected if living wills and decisions to remove a feeding tube, for example, will not be honored if they are "contrary to Catholic teaching."