Walter Reed Medical Center has Banned Religious Items-Truth! But Rescinded!

Walter Reed Medical Center has Banned Religious Items-Truth! But Rescinded!

Summary of the eRumor:
A forwarded email that warns that a recent change in U.S. Navy policy at the Walter Reed Medical Center has resulted in a ban of religious items including Bibles. The email warns that this ban could also prohibit priests from offering the sacraments such as Communion and Last Rites to wounded soldiers at the medical center.

The Truth:
The policy was real but was in error and it was rescinded. An apology and statement was posted on the web site of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) saying:

We are in the process of rewriting our policy and would like to offer the following statement:

Bibles and other religious materials have always been and will remain available for patient use at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The visitation policy as written was incorrect and should have been more thoroughly reviewed before its release. It has been rescinded. We apologize for any confusion the policy may have caused.

Please know that at admission, all patients are asked for their religious preference and a chaplain associated with their preference visits them regularly to provide spiritual services. In addition, their families may also bring religious material and we will not refuse any religious group entrance.

WRNMMC provides multiple venues at WRMNMC for religious expression and worship. There is daily Catholic Mass as well as Protestant, Hindu, and Muslim services. Eucharist is also available at the bedside. There are weekly Torah studies, multiple weekly Christian bible studies, as well as weekly Qur'an study. Furthermore, chaplains coordinate spiritual needs for those whose faith groups are not represented by staff chaplains (such as Latter-Day Saints, Buddhist, and Christian Scientist).

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center remains committed to supporting the religious preferences of all our patients and we will continue to ensure their spiritual needs are met.

Attention to this story was initiated by the Washington D.C. based Family Resource Council. It announced that it had obtained an internal memo that said that "Navy officials had announced that 'no religious items (including Bibles, reading material, and/or artifacts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit'" to wounded soldiers being treated at Walter Reed Medical Center. This prompted a mass email "Action Alert" campaign from the organization to encourage readers to sign an online petition posted on the FRC website.

The internal memo was about visitation guidelines and came from the Department of the Navy and was addressed to Walter Reed Medical Center on September 14, 2011 according to the video transcript of a House Floor speech by Rep. Steve King (R-IA).

YouTube Video of Rep. Steve King discusses visitation policy at 4 1/2 minutes into the video.

updated 12/08/11

A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:

The Genesis of the Bible's Exodus from Troop Hospitals

The soldiers who wake up in Walter Reed Medical Center are in Maryland--not communist China. But under the Navy's new rules, they may not know the difference! After months of peeling away the military's core values, Obama's army is on the move. And this time, it has a high-value target: the Bible. In a memo obtained by FRC, Navy officials have announced that "no religious items (including Bibles, reading material, and/or artifacts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit." 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 .

Last night, after we circulated the memo to leaders on the Hill, an outraged Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) took to the House floor and blasted the policy. "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?"

This is Obama's military, where homosexuality is celebrated and Christianity is censored; where witches are financed and crosses are scorned; where bestiality is embraced and Bibles are banned; where same-sex "weddings" are encouraged but international charity is not. After three years of ideological warfare, the administration's intent is clear: to disarm the military of its biggest weapon. Faith. Regardless of President Obama's agenda, there is absolutely nothing in the Constitution that empowers the government to stop family members from giving Bibles or crosses to their loved ones. And from a PR standpoint, I'm not sure the best way to boost approval ratings is by denying comfort to wounded warriors. Unfortunately for our troops, who have endured so much turmoil under the Obama administration, this is another blow. Hopefully, with the help of Congressman King and others, it's only a temporary one.

***Breaking News*** As we were about to hit the send button on this email, FRC received word that the military may have rescinded its Bible ban. We will have more to report on Monday.