Catholic Nurse Sues Duke University Hospital After Refusing to Assist with Abortions

[tnbutterfly - Mary]

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A Catholic nurse sued Duke University Hospital in Durham, N.C., alleging it discriminated against her religious beliefs by failing to accommodate her objections to abortion, birth control and giving vaccinations.

Sara Pedro, a Catholic nurse, moved from New York City in August 2016 to take a job at Duke University Hospital. Soon after she began work at Duke, Sara asked for and got an exemption from receiving hospital required vaccines. She also told hospital administration that she was "unable" to assist with abortions as well as administering contraceptives and "any vaccines" based on rulings by the Catholic Church.

In December 2016, Sara was placed on unpaid leave. She has moved back to New York City and claims she has been unable to return to work as she is suffering from post-traumatic stress.

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The lawsuit contends Duke violated the religious-discrimination section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by failing to give Pedro a "reasonable accommodation" for her beliefs.

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Catholic nurse sues Duke University Hospital after refusing to assist with abortions, contraception

[morte, LPN, LVN]

iSurvivor said:

She did request a promotion to a different position and was denied, even kept on "orientation" status longer than her cohorts.

why should she be promoted for being difficult. now if you mean transferred...

[MunoRN, RN]

She wasn't granted an exemption from assisting with abortions because they don't perform elective abortions, you can't give someone an exemption from something you don't do in the first place.

Part of her complaint is that she continued on orientation while other nurses had moved off orientation, it would be more unusual if all the nurses in orientation had met their orientation goals at the exact same time.

While she's named in the suit, the suit is primarily being brought by a right wing religious organization as a way of making political hay.

[NotAllWhoWandeRN, ASN, RN]

klone said:

It's not. The problem is that many conservative Christians have a VERY broad definition of abortion. They consider methotrexate administration for ectopic pregnancy to be abortion. They also consider giving emergency contraception to be abortion.

EDs typically do not do abortions. It's a surgical procedure. I suspect that she was told that they administer emergency contraception or methotrexate. In HER conservative Christian mind, that = abortion.

How sad regarding emergency contraception. I was initially misinformed about how plan B worked and when someone asked for it at the pharmacy there I teched I would politely get someone else to help them. But it only reduces the chance of ovulation and had I known that I would not have refused. I guess if you're against any form of birth control whatsoever you'd still refuse, but it still ducks under the "life begins at conception" bar many conservatives go by.*

*My views have evolved in the years since then but I was behaving politely and professionally according to my beliefs at the time and it didn't impair my ability to do that job.

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

I have no sympathy

I have no issues with someone being anti abortion or not wanting to assist in the procedure. But why the heck would anyone take a job where that is a large part of their role and then throw a monumental tantrum because her employer wont let her pass off the duties she agreed to when she took the job

I have never applied for a job without being given a job description of what was expected from me, so I would doubt she can play the "but I didnt know what I signed up for card"

[klone, MSN, RN]

Tenebrae said:

But why the heck would anyone take a job where that is a large part of their role and then throw a monumental tantrum because her employer won't let her pass off the duties she agreed to when she took the job

It's not a large part of the role of an ED nurse to assist in abortion.

[Extra Pickles]

iSurvivor said:

She did request a promotion to a different position and was denied, even kept on "orientation" status longer than her cohorts.

Something tells me that if she had received a promotion she wouldn't be quite so "traumatized" by her experiences at Duke. Not promotable and required extensive orientation, sure sounds like a fabulous employee to me! Not too hard to see why a hot-button-issue lawsuit was her best retirement plan.

[kimandthekinks]

I want to know why there is probably a nurse grad out there who doesn't have a job but a nurse who can't even perform all of her duties is suing a hospital after being blessed with a job to care for the community as a "religious" person. This woman is despicable.

[kdkout, BSN, RN]

TriciaJ said:

My thoughts exactly. This smells like a cash grab.

Yes, I totally agree. This makes me mad, actually. I was in the same boat - not told as a brand new OB nurse at a non-Catholic hospital that I'd have to assist with terminations. Nobody told me; was forced to assist on one long after orientation was over. I did or "patient abandonment," so I spoke to my supervisor to find out if I could legally get out of it. My supervisor admitted to lying about it at my interview (withheld the info, on purpose), it was "part of my job duties," people can trade patients with me but they dont have to, so I quit. Then at any future OB jobs at the interview I would ask about the policy re: terminations - so if they did them, could I have an exemption, if so, can I get it in writing.

You bring it up before accepting a new job. She had to know as an ED nurse, that she'd be giving vaccinations and giving contraceptives. Maybe she didn't realize the abortion issue would come up....but all three issues? Come on. I smell a rat. This is asking for a ridiculous amt of 'accommodation.'

[saongiri]

I am still confused why an ED nurse would be assisting with an abortion?

[kimandthekinks]

Could have been an emergency abortion?

[klone, MSN, RN]

saongiri said:

I am still confused why an ED nurse would be assisting with an abortion?

As I mentioned a few times earlier in this thread, she wouldn't be assisting with an abortion. She might assist with giving methotrexate for an ectopic pregnancy, or giving emergency contraception to a woman after an assault.

I suspect, in her Catholic mind, she considers those "abortions" even though they're not.

[klone, MSN, RN]

kimandthekinks said:

Could have been an emergency abortion?

They don't do abortions in the ED. It's a surgical procedure. Unless it's a medical abortion, in which case it would be done through her primary care provider or an abortion provider with medication that she would take at home.