Pro-life nurse fired for refusing to cooperate with abortion wins court battle by Jack Bingham for Life Site News
‘Medical professionals should never be forced to engage in or promote activities that violate their beliefs or convictions,’ said ADF Legal Counsel Elissa Graves.
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (LifeSiteNews) – A Catholic pediatric nurse who was fired for refusing to refer women for abortions won her wrongful termination suit last week.
The 17th Judicial Circuit Court in Winnebago County, Illinois ruled in favor of Sandra Rojas last Thursday, determining that her 2015 firing from the Winnebago County Health Department over her refusal to provide abortion and contraceptive services due to her religious beliefs was unlawful.
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In the court’s decision, Judge Eugene Doherty wrote that “The Court has concluded that the Health Department could have reasonably accommodated [Rojas’] objections without removing her from her job,” and therefore, “The Health Department improperly discriminated against Plaintiff by refusing to accommodate her objections of conscience…”
The defendant on the case, Public Health Administrator for the Winnebago County Health Department Dr. Sandra Martell, told the court that she was unaware her duty to accommodate Rojas’ religious convictions involved keeping her in the “exact same position.”
The court determined that per the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act, Rojas had a right to keep her position while having her “honestly held” pro-life beliefs accommodated, and that Martell’s decision to dismiss Rojas fell below her required duty as defined by state law.
Rojas worked as a pediatric nurse for the department for 18 years prior to the 2015 installation of a new job requirement that compelled nurses to refer women to abortion facilities, help women obtain abortion-inducing drugs, and aid them in accessing contraceptives.
Rojas, whose Catholic beliefs prevent her from cooperating with abortion and contraception under the pain of grave sin, was represented by lead counsel Noel Sterett, along with co-counsel attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a Christian non-profit dedicated to protecting religious freedom and the sanctity of life.
“Medical professionals should never be forced to engage in or promote activities that violate their beliefs or convictions,” said ADF Legal Counsel Elissa Graves. “Sandra found her calling serving as a pediatric nurse, helping children overcome health obstacles and lead fulfilling lives. She chose to practice medicine according to her conscience and religion—a right for medical providers that is protected under Illinois and federal law—yet the Winnebago County health department wrongfully forced her out of a job when she declined to participate in abortion-related services. The court’s ruling protects Sandra’s freedom to practice medicine and care for her young patients in a manner consistent with her conscience and religious beliefs.”
