Providence Hospital Alaska: New Home to Abortionist, Dr. Jan Whitefield's, AK Women's Health Clinic

Providence Hospital - Anchorage, AK

Providence Hospital, a Catholic Hospital, in Anchorage, Alaska recently got a new tenant. That tenant is none other than the Alaska Women's Health, P.C. clinic (aka Alaska Women's Health Services) a clinic notorious for providing abortion, contraception, and sterilization. One of the head physicians within the clinic is the infamous Alaskan Abortionist: Dr. Jan Whitefield.

This information was brought to my attention via an email from a blog reader, they wanted to let me know that they had found out that the Alaska Women's Health, P.C.,  had recently opened this new office inside of Providence Hospital. When I went to the AWHPC website to check it out for myself I found the address listed was indeed for a suite inside of Providence. The news announcement from their site:

We are proud to announce the merging of our two offices into a larger, newly renovated space on the Providence Hospital campus. Our opening date at 3260 Providence Drive, C Tower, Suite 322 will be July 11. We know you will enjoy the calming atmosphere and modern amenities our new clinic has to offer!

Immediately, I thought about Lila Rose, of Live Action fame, earlier this week helping lead more than 70 protesters against a hospital in Colorado that is in almost the same exact situation as what we see going on at Providence. So as I began researching what I could online, I was left with more questions than answers.

What is AWHS?

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What exactly is going on in Providence at the AWHS? Well, it is hard for me to say for certain, but what I can do is give you some facts. First, the AWHS clinic has another location off of the Providence campus, so it is quite possible that no abortions are occurring on Providence property. I am not 100% certain if the off-site location does abortions either (or if they are done at some other medical facility) and whether it will remain open, in light of the new office in Providence. I can tell you that Dr. Jan Whitefield works for the AWHS clinic inside of Providence and he performs abortions - somewhere. Which leads to the question of who exactly is Dr. Jan Whitefield?

Dr. Jan Whitefield

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Dr. Whitefield - Click to Enlarge

Dr. Jan Whitefield is an abortionist. He admits so himself in various court pleadings. The court pleadings I refer to are various complaints, spanning years, against various pieces of Pro-Life legislation and on behalf of abortion 'rights'. Dr. Whitefield is often one of the lead complainants in these court cases along with Planned Parenthood. In his most recent action against the State of Alaska regarding the "Parental Notification Law", Dr. Whitefield claims that he along with other physicians at AWHS perform over 500 first trimester abortions each year. Dr. Whitefield is also a physician provider within Providence. I couldn't ascertain exactly what that means, but I assume it has to do with physician privileges within Providence. Essentially, it means that he has the ability to admit and treat patients within Providence. When you search for him in the provider search on the Providence website it lists his organization as AWHS, so it is difficult to know if he receives any sort of payment for services from Providence directly.

This leads to the next logical inquiry, what services does the AWHS clinic provide? From their website, it is clear that there are various reproductive services provided which include Contraceptive services and Sterilization. As for abortion there was nothing listed on the site, but by his own admission, Whitefield has stated that they do perform abortions. The question is whether they do them at Providence. Unfortunately I could find no information to answer this question either affirmatively or negatively, yet it still leaves us asking whether this clinic should even be inside Providence based on what they do provide.

USCCB Ethicial and Religious Directives

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Therefore, based on what services they do perform, and the fact that Dr. Whitefield is a well known abortionist, how does this square with the Ethical and Religious Directives that the USCCB requires that all CATHOLIC hospitals adhere to? [The E&RDs can be found at Providence's website or at the USCCB.]

It is pretty clear that abortion, contraception, and sterilization are against Catholic teaching and have no place in a Catholic hospital. What isn't as clear or immedietally evident is what the E&RDs say about partners or clinics within a Catholic hospital. For the directives that deal with such an issue, we must turn our attention to paragraphs 67-72:

67. Decisions that may lead to serious consequences for the identity or reputation of Catholic health care services, or entail the high risk of scandal, should be made in consultation with the diocesan bishop or his health care liaison.

68. Any partnership that will affect the mission or religious and ethical identity of Catholic health care institutional services must respect church teaching and discipline. Diocesan bishops and other church authorities should be involved as such partnerships are developed, and the diocesan bishop should give the appropriate authorization before they are completed. The diocesan bishop's approval is required for partnerships sponsored by institutions subject to his governing authority; for partnerships sponsored by religious institutes of pontifical right, his nihil obstat should be obtained.

69. If a Catholic health care organization is considering entering into an arrangement with another organization that may be involved in activities judged morally wrong by the Church, participation in such activities, must be limited to what is in accord with the moral principles governing cooperation.

70. Catholic health care organizations are not permitted to engage in immediate material cooperation in actions that are intrinsically immoral, such as abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, and direct sterilization.[44]

71. The possibility of scandal must be considered when applying the principles governing cooperation.[45] Cooperation, which in all other respects is morally licit, may need to be refused because of the scandal that might be caused. Scandal can sometimes be avoided by an appropriate explanation of what is in fact being done at the health care facility under Catholic auspices. The diocesan bishop has final responsibility for assessing and addressing issues of scandal, considering not only the circumstances in his local diocese but also the regional and national implications of his decision.[46]

72. The Catholic partner in an arrangement has the responsibility periodically to assess whether the binding agreement is being observed and implemented in a way that is consistent with Catholic teaching.

To simplify what these mean to the situation at hand, we essentially have to look at two issues and how they relate to the Providence-AWHS relationship:

1. Material Cooperation (with evil) -  see #70


2. Scandal - #71

Material Cooperation & Scandal

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For those unfamiliar with these terms or how they apply to this situation, Lisa Graas over at Live Action recently did an excellent job explaining them. One important directive that comes from another section of the E&RDs is paragraph 45, which states:

45. Abortion (that is, the directly intended termination of pregnancy before viability or the directly intended destruction of a viable fetus) is never permitted. Every procedure whose sole immediate effect is the termination of pregnancy before viability is an abortion, which, in its moral context, includes the interval between conception and implantation of the embryo. Catholic health care institutions are not to provide abortion services, even based upon the principle of material cooperation. In this context, Catholic health care institutions need to be concerned about the danger of scandal in any association with abortion providers. (Emphasis mine)

This leaves Providence having to answer a two part question:
Does having the AWHS clinic inside of Providence, provide abortion services (or other intrinsically immoral ones) based on the principle of material cooperation, and if not, does having such a clinic and doctor located within, and associated with, the hospital cause scandal?

I would answer YES to both questions.  Without getting into too much theology or philosophy we  to need secure a decent understanding of what is meant by immediate material cooperation. Lisa Graas and I both reference a Catholic dictionary for an understanding of the term. Based on the following it is hard to say that Providence is guilty of IMC:

In immediate material cooperation, one person actually does something morally wrong with another person. Thus if a surgeon and an assistant are both engaged in actually aborting a fetus, the co-operation of the assistant is immediate. Immediate material co-operation in the sinful act of another is always wrong. It is pointless to say that a person who is not under duress performs a criminal action without intending to do so.

Yet, they are most definitely guilty of Mediate Cooperation:

Mediate material cooperation is concurring in the wrong action of another, but not in such a way that one actually performs the act with the other or agrees with the evil intention of the other. While doing something that is in itself good or indifferent, a person rather gives an occasion to another's sin, or contributes something by way of assistance.

Providence co-operates in several ways. They have granted office space to the AWHS, the have given privileges to and utilize the services of Dr. Whitefield, and they allow for the clinic to provide other intrinsically immoral services. One could argue that the new facilities and access to patients helps co-operate with evil through the ease of access to Dr. Whitefield by some patients.

As for Scandal, even if one finds a grey area to reside in regarding Material Cooperation, there is no denying that this situation causes Scandal. The definition is:

Any action or its omission, not necessarily sinful in itself, that is likely to induce another to do something morally wrong. Direct scandal, also called diabolical, has the deliberate intention to induce another to sin. In indirect scandal a person does something that he or she forsees will at least likely lead another to commit sin, but this is rather tolerated than positively desired.

It is obvious that a clinic that provides immoral services and has a history of providing abortion will likely induce women that come into their clinic to have an abortion. As Dr. Whitefield himself claims, the AWHS clinic provides over 500 abortions a year. Those patients more than likely obtain guidance and services by walking through the doors of the clinic. Not only that but the last sentence in paragraph #45 above states that:

In this context, Catholic health care institutions need to be concerned about the danger of scandal in any association with abortion providers.

So clearly Catholic hospitals are put on notice by means of this directive, that any association with an abortion provider has the danger of scandal. Therefore, an abortionist as high profile as Whitefield is not only more likely to cause scandal but also more likely to utilize the office space at Providence to perform abortions even if they are "off-site."

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Does this mean Providence is in the wrong? Well, it seems that way but there are always nuanced positions and distinctions that can be made. Overall I think that Providence is in the wrong an that there is at least mediate material cooperation if not a further degree of culpability. As for scandal, this definitely causes scandal.

Going further, if you read the E&RDs closely, you will see in part six that there is a requirement that the bishop be brought into the decision making process when a Catholic hospital is forming a relationship with an outside entity that may be questionable to the teachings of the Church. I am not sure if that occurred or not. In fact, I did contact the Archdiocese to both inform them of this situation, if they didn't know about it, and to ask questions regarding the E&RDs and how they relate to this situation. I was informed by a high ranking member of the Archdiocese that my concerns were being forwarded to the Archbishop and that this official would see how the Archbishop wants to proceed from here. This seems like an appropriate response, yet I don't know how or when the Archbishop will respond. In fairness to him, I sent the email on Thursday, and this is a rather intricate and complicated situation so I expect him to take a few days to really look into all aspects of it. 

As for what any of us can do now, I would suggest two things:

1. Pray. Pray that the Culture of Life is fostered and defended by all means possible especially through the courage and commitment of our Archbishop, priests, and religious. Rosaries and Chaplets of Divine Mercy are especially powerful in situations such as this, and if you have an opportunity may I suggest going down to Providence, and in a legal and respectful way, praying on site for the hospital and its commitment to the Church and Her teachings.


2. Contact the Archbishop. His contact information is:


• The Most Reverend Roger L. Schwietz, OMI


• 225 Cordova Street | Anchorage, AK 99501


• Phone: (907) 297-7755


• Email: ab.schwietz@caa-ak.org & kbakic@caa-ak.org (Exec. Asst.)

In terms of contacting the Archbishop, I would like to make a few suggestions. First, be respectful and charitable. What is most helpful in these situations, especially as we await his response, is not to accuse or place blame but instead to express how this impacts you as a Catholic. Second, We don't know all of the facts, we only know what we can ascertain on-line. Again, it is more helpful to discuss what we know for certain, rather than what we think is true or expect to be true. Finally, These sorts of things take time to sort out, discuss, and change if necessary. Please understand that this will most likely take more than a day or two in order to sort things out. Be patient, pray, fast and give alms. Don't forget to pray. I would suggest a novena for the Assumption.

I will keep you all updated on this and let us devote ourselves to praying for an outcome that fully supports the sanctity and Culture of Life.

NB: To stay "up-to-date" on developments in this situation please follow the blog - All posts related to this situation can be found under the "Topic Link": 'Providence Hospital'

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Lord Jesus Christ,
 You have conquered the power of death
And opened for humanity
The hope of eternal life in body and soul.

You granted your Mother
A share in heavenly glory,
And did not allow decay to touch her body.

As we rejoice in the Assumption of Mary,
Grant us new confidence in the victory of life over death,
And renewed reverence for the human body.

As we honor Mary, Assumed into Heaven,
May we proclaim the hope of Your Gospel:
That you want every human life seated on your throne.

May that hope strengthen us to protect every life here on earth.

You live and reign forever and ever. Amen.