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

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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

You definitely make a good point Elkpark. She may have been a plant. Both ultra liberal and ultra conservative groups do this.

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Knotanoonurse said:
You definitely make a good point Elkpark. She may have been a plant. Both ultra liberal and ultra conservative groups do this.

hrmph, I already said that....the part about being a plant.

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New twist on Mystery Shoppers in the Hospital...Mystery Suers!

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Specializes in Emergency.

PTSD? Seriously?

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elkpark said:
I notice a few mentions in the legal filing that this individual was told directly during orientation (and the document identifies by name the person who made the statement(s)) that Duke doesn't allow any personal, religious exemption from participating in abortions. In the first place, I find that kind of hard to believe, since there is existing Federal law that protects individuals' right to not be forced to participate in procedures to which they have a religious objection (law specifically written to protect anti-choice providers). But, in the second place, I wonder if the activist law practice that brought the suit had gotten wind of this and found this nurse in order to pursue a test case in the court system. I wonder if they even found her in NY and sent her to NC to get a job at Duke in a setting that would conflict with her religious views for the purpose of being able to file a suit. It wouldn't be the first time that an activist legal group has gone "shopping" for a defendant to enable a suit that the group has been wanting to file.

Yes, as I stated earlier, this is obviously a case that was brought to further widen the scope of so-called Religious Freedom. Nothing more.

We have seen a growing number of these cases.

It is another way to yet further erode reproductive rights, etc.

The part that really makes me chuckle is the PTSD. My definition of PTSD as a floor nurse is being understaffed while a patient codes and another tries to become septic, while three others are trying to climb out of bed due to dementia or other cognitive impairment.

That is PTSD!

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Knotanoonurse said:
So here is the vaccine thing in a nutshell. The original rubella vaccine was derived from an aborted fetus in the 1960's whose mother had rubella. The mother was allowed to abort even during that time because the risk of deformities associated with rubella was horrendous. That being said, many Catholic theologians feel that even though (in their opinion) the vaccine may have had "evil" beginnings, the greater good in preventing rubella outweighs this. How the heck do I know? I went to a Catholic University and did a paper and presentation to a childbirth educator meeting at a Catholic Hospital. I am Catholic and never heard of this before my class. I have worked in Catholic hospitals and we have the rubella vaccine frequently. We also told them no pregnancy for 3 months as it is a live attenuated virus... so use birth control! Some people are really religious and would not get this vaccine. I think they are nuts but I am not Uber Catholic.

I suspect maybe they gave methotrexate in the ED for ectopic pregnancy. It does destroy the growing non viable fetus whose existence threatens mom's life. I have no problem with this. However, my ethics professor advocated for removal of the tube so as to not directly kill the fetus. I have worked at 2 Catholic facilities wher mtx was given. At one, we had a religious Dr who gave methotrexate to preserve the tube and fertility BUT two others in the same practice would not!

I don't agree with this nurses' beliefs, but this crazy interpretation of the Church is out there. Please don't kid yourself that it is only crazy Catholics. I have Islamic patients refuse C sections that were clearly indicated and Orthodox Jews who required "heroic" furniture rearrangement because the husband must not be too near the wife with lochia or even sit where she has sat prior!

Many anti vaxers follow the prophet Jenny McCarthy. It is horrible that her son is autistic BUT she has no authority or evidence re. Vaccines. I will take my advice from Paul Offut from CHOP, but there are a lot of anti vaxers who are non religious nuts! Don't get me started on the anti RhoGam nuts!

This nurse seems over the top, but she does have some rights related to religion even if it all seems silly. The real story may be a sham, but maybe not. Religion thrives on those who blindly and rigidly follow.

Here is a link re the Church and vaccination.Catholics urged to remember 'common good' in vaccine debate | National Catholic Reporter

She is entitled to religious rights, but she should have made her views and restrictions known before hiring on at Duke or anywhere else.

Many views thrive on rigidity and blindness, not just religious views.

Thanks for the history of the Rubella vaccine.

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She should've, and probably did, see where the college stood on controversial issues. For example, I am personally anti-abortion, but I advocate for a woman's right to choose on a global scale. For this reason I do not work Planned Parenthood. So I wouldn't work there, pass my probation period, and then say, "I didn't know women can get abortions here. That's just nonsense.

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Like it or not, people are legally protected to live according to their beliefs. They should be respected on the same level as healthcare professionals expected to respect the choices legally protected for their patients. No one person is more important than the other. And it does seem like most commentors on here stating the "if she cant do all parts of the job, she should get another job" are not of a faith that clearly prohibits the termination of a life. That being said, we should all respect others stances enough to accept that there are those who will and those who won't be willing to do certain things in their line of work. And that doesn't make them better or worse than the next person.

NNM

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No one is obligated to disclose anything related to their faith before being hired on.

NNM

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
NeoNatMom said:
And it does seem like most commentors on here stating the "if she cant do all parts of the job, she should get another job" are not of a faith that clearly prohibits the termination of a life. That being said, we should all respect others stances enough to accept that there are those who will and those who won't be willing to do certain things in their line of work. And that doesn't make them better or worse than the next person.

I agree with you...to a point. I work in OB, and once in a while we will perform an induction of labor that will result in the delivery of a pre-viable fetus. In those situations, we are all respectful of those women who have strong feelings on the subject and find a nurse to accept the assignment who is comfortable with what's going on.

I don't agree with those posters who are comparing her ED job to taking a job at Planned Parenthood. They're not analogous.

If it were JUST about abortion and they actually DID provide abortion services in the Duke ED, I would be sympathetic to her situation. Because even though I'm pro-abortion, I truly do understand the viewpoint of people who are anti-abortion.

The thing is, though, it's not about abortion. Because EDs do not provide abortion services. They provide emergency contraception, and once in a while, they provide lifesaving methotrexate for women who have an ectopic pregnancy - a pregnancy that is NOT VIABLE, and if allowed to continue, will probably destroy her fallopian tube, if it doesn't outright kill her.

These procedures are NOT ABORTION. And while I "get" that many conservative Christians have a much broader definition of abortion, the fact of the matter is that we're healthcare providers. We are scientists. And when we are providing healthcare services to others, we should be using what is the accepted scientific definition of abortion, and not pushing our own religious beliefs on others.

And then the whole vaccine thing. The Catholic church does not forbid vaccines. I understand the concern is about the MMR vaccine ONLY, because of the original cell line that was created from fetal tissue.

That brings me to my last point, and why I do not have sympathy for her and I find her entire argument incredibly disingenuous. When is the MMR given in the ED? Ever? Anyone?

So, those are my thoughts.

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NeoNatMom said:
That being said, we should all respect others stances enough to accept that there are those who will and those who won't be willing to do certain things in their line of work. And that doesn't make them better or worse than the next person.

NNM

No, but it does make them someone who should find a different setting in which to work, one in which activities and procedures that conflict with their religious beliefs are not likely to come up on a regular basis.

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NeoNatMom said:
No one is obligated to disclose anything related to their faith before being hired on.

NNM

Employers can't ask about anyone's religion, but they can certainly ask whether there is any reason people wouldn't be able to fulfill all the responsibilities of a particular job.

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