No Bibles in a hospital? Dr. Jerry Newcombe with Crosswalk.com reported that Christians and even lawmakers investigated a new policy by a leading military medical center disallowing “religious items, (including Bibles, reading material, and/or artifacts) during a visit.” Walter Reed General Medical Center issued the policy as their new facility was opening recently in Washington D.C. President of the Family Research Council Tony Perkins said of the policy, “The new orders are buried in a four-page document about patient care, which an Army officer forwarded to us in disbelief. Effective immediately, families, friends, and even pastors will have to check their beliefs at the door to visit one of the largest military hospitals in the United States.”
Luckily, the intervention of the FRC alerted Congressman Steve King of Iowa, who went to the House floor and declared, “Mr. Speaker, these military men and women who are recovering at Walter Reed and Bethesda have given their all for America. … They’ve defended and taken an oath to the Constitution, and here they are. The people that come to visit them can’t bring a religious artifact? They can’t bring a Bible? … A priest can’t walk in with the Eucharist and offer communion to a patient who might be on their deathbed because it’s prohibited in this memo from the Department of the Navy?”
As a result, the policy was rescinded and an apology was issued by the hospital, saying the visitation policy was “incorrect” and “should have been more thoroughly reviewed prior to issue…Bibles and other religious materials have always been and will remain available for patient use at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.”
