Catholic Healthcare Education Center:

This physician was once employed by a large Catholic health system in the Midwest. For eleven years, she faithfully served patients—especially the underserved—providing compassionate, ethical care that respected both life and dignity. Her patients loved her, she had a 9-month waiting list, and her outcomes spoke for themselves. Yet within her OB department, she faced ongoing hostility. Though her colleagues had signed on to follow Catholic teaching, many did not in practice. She was marginalized, dismissed, and eventually, without warning, her life-affirming program was shut down.

Despite clear evidence that her work brought in both revenue and patient goodwill, she was told it was “not financially sustainable.” The truth was harder: there was no longer room for a pro-life, authentically Catholic voice in a system that had drifted from its mission. Even the Bishop was powerless to intervene.

She had been told at the start of her employment that she would provide the “natural” option for fertility treatment while others offered the “pharmaceutical” route. This was already in conflict with the Ethical and Religious Directives (ERDs), but over time, the administration went further—reinterpreting the ERDs to justify offering sterilization procedures for the purpose of avoiding pregnancy. When this shift became policy, her program was the first to be cut. The only option for patients seeking fertility treatment in line with Church teaching was eliminated.

She had spent years offering services to Spanish-speaking women, underserved communities, and homeless patients. The hospital system once recognized this work as part of its “community benefit ministries.” But as leadership changed, the Catholic mission quietly disappeared. She suggested ways to make her practice more financially sustainable—like billing for NFP education provided by nurses—but these proposals were ignored.

But the challenges didn’t end there.

After she began supporting Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) through a local pregnancy center, she became the target of an anonymous complaint—first on Facebook, then escalated to the state medical board medical licensing board. Without warning, she received a letter from the board informing her of an official complaint against her license.

What followed was four months of fear, legal battles, and over $20,000 in attorney fees—all to defend herself against a baseless charge that she was offering “unethical” care. This wasn’t an isolated incident. Another pro-life colleague—the former president of the American Association of Pro-Life OB/GYNs—faced a nearly identical complaint shortly afterward. It was, as attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom warned her, likely a test case—an attempt to silence doctors who support women with ethical, science-based alternatives to abortion.

To defend her license, she had to write a formal defense of APR, collect over 20 letters of recommendation, and submit documentation of her character and medical practice. She remembers the stress vividly—the emotional toll, the time lost, the fear that her years of faithful service might be destroyed. And yet, through it all, she leaned on prayer. She felt the presence of Jesus and Mary standing beside her during the board interviews. Eventually, the case was closed with no action taken. 

This is the quiet persecution Catholic clinicians face. This is White Martyrdom.

And it doesn’t just affect them—it affects all of us. When clinicians of faith are silenced or pushed out, patients lose access to medical care that respects both life and Catholic values.

That’s why MyCatholicDoctor Foundation exists. We are building a healthcare system that supports faithful Catholic clinicians and protects your access to life-affirming care.

But we can’t do it without your help.

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