How are health care needs affected by Roman Catholic beliefs?

Answer 1

Health care has been affected by Catholic beliefs since the Church's emergence. One of the Catholic corporeal works of mercy - part of the Catholic "code of honor" if you will - is to comfort the sick which the Church has translated into the spiritual, emotional and corporeal care of people. The development of hospitals hold their inception in Catholic religious orders of nuns and brothers who dedicated themselves to such works, working entirely on a volunteer basis and with complete dedication to their jobs and patients (most hospitals had convents attached or next door to them). The medicinal use of herbs and the knowledge thereof was kept and transmitted within these orders for centuries. As well, the Christian ideal of charity for all has seen treatment offered to all classes of people, indeed, there are many saints that stand out for their insistence on treating slaves, prisoners, soldiers, lepers and other highly shunned or sick people despite the horrible conditions and danger of infection or death. In addition the Church has always provided a humanity to its treatment of people in social interaction and genuine human interest. Because of the Catholic Church's missionary spirit, these ideals have been spread across the world.

The modern world has adopted the work laid by the Church. However, many countries, it their efforts to secularize health care and solidify political control, have dismissed the Church from many health institutions, thus losing trained nurses and even doctors that worked purely on a volunteer basis. Though a minor detail, it is also worth mentioning many of these institutions depended almost entirely on donations to operate, thus spurring the generosity and solidarity of the communities in which they functioned. As well, this removal has affected the humanity and budget of health care institutions, as most nurses and doctors need to be paid (and rightly so!) and cannot be there 24/7. The morals of the Church have been removed as well, allowing for more progressive processes, treatments and drugs to be applied. Some of these advancements are highly beneficial, some not so much, though the moral ability to block them or force more testing has been severely curtailed. As well, with the decline of Church influence of health care the more health care has become big business. As well, the spiritual dimension of healing has become highly neglected if not ignored.

The Church still has religious orders dedicated to health care and operates in many countries, of any level of development, with emphasis in poor regions and war torn areas as well as areas affected by plagues, disasters or disease. The Church refuses to compromise her moral rules for the exception and thus continues to resist assisting in any form of artificial Birth Control. The Church, however, promotes abstinence until marriage which even secular institutions have admitted, "was equivalent to a highly effective vaccine" (British Medical Journal, 2004). Indeed, such moral teachings, if observed, would all but wipe out such diseases as HIV in a few generations and would lead to fewer unplanned pregnancies.

Answer 2

Roman Catholic beliefs are opposed to birth control, even use of condoms. One effect of this on health care needs results from a higher levels of teenage pregnancies. Another effect is an increase in sexually transmitted diseases, which can be prevented by the use of condoms.
Failure to use effective birth control measures can, ironically, result in an increased demand for abortions. On the other hand, health facilities associated with the Catholic Church usually do not provide abortion facilities or even advice on obtaining abortions, so parallel facilities may need to be provided for those who wish to consider this option.