Developed and promulgated, by the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERDs) serve as a normative guide for all Catholic-sponsored health care systems. The ERDs serve two purposes:  1. To provide a context in which concrete issues can be discussed from the perspective of the Catholic faith, and 2.  To protect the truths of the Catholic faith as those truths are brought to bear on concrete issues in health care.