Posted on 07/23/2009 5:25:46 AM PDT by kellynla
NEW YORK — Alliance Defense Fund attorneys filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Mount Sinai Hospital on behalf of a Catholic nurse who was forced to participate in a late-term abortion under the threat of disciplinary action, including possible termination and loss of her license. The hospital has known of her religious objections to abortion since 2004.
Hospital administrators told the nurse that the scheduled abortion was an "emergency," though evidence shows otherwise, and insisted moments before the procedure that she assist doctors despite her repeated objections to the procedure, which dismembered a preborn child in the 22nd week of gestation. By federal law, hospitals that receive federal funds cannot force employees to participate in abortion procedures under any circumstances.
"Pro-life nurses shouldn’t be forced to assist in abortions against their beliefs," said ADF Legal Counsel Matt Bowman. "Requiring a devout, Catholic nurse to participate in a late-term abortion in order to remain employed is illegal, unethical, and violates her rights of conscience. Federal law requires that employers who receive funding from tax dollars must not compel employees to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs, but this nurse’s objections fell on deaf ears."
"Chasing away workers from the health care field is disastrous health care policy," said Bowman. "An individual’s conscience is likely what brought them to the health care field. Denying or coercing their conscience will likely drive them right out."
Administrators at Mount Sinai Hospital threatened senior nurse Cathy Cenzon-DeCarlo with disciplinary measures if she did not honor a last-minute summons to assist in a scheduled late-term abortion. Despite the fact that the patient was not in crisis at the time of the surgery, the hospital insisted on her participation in the procedure on the grounds that it was an "emergency" even though the procedure was not classified as such.
"Category I" is the classification reserved for "patients requiring immediate surgical intervention for life or limb threatening conditions." The surgery in this case was classified as "Category II," for operations needing to take place within six hours, indicating that the hospital had no reason to insist upon Cenzon-DeCarlo’s assistance in the abortion in order to protect the patient. Plenty of time existed to find a different nurse to assist, especially since evidence indicates that the patient’s condition did not rise even to a Category II. In fact, Cenzon-DeCarlo observed no indications that the abortion was a medical emergency while in the operating room.
ADF attorneys filed the complaint in Cenzon-DeCarlo v. The Mount Sinai Hospital with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. They are also requesting a preliminary injunction that would order the hospital to honor Cenzon-DeCarlo’s religious objection against assisting in abortion and refrain from retaliation against her while the case moves forward. New York ADF-allied attorneys Joseph Ruta and Piero Tozzi are serving as local counsel in the case.
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I was wondering the same thing.
I do agree with you and I am very upset about hospitals forcing catholics (however devout) to participate in abortion.
The thing is, since this case involves a lawsuit, hence a precdent or “case law” down the road, logic must trump emotion; meaning, if the nurse should lose the case, the prolife side would be in a much worse situation.
My take? I think, if that nurse walked out or got fired, she would win the case. Now that she reluctantly participated in the abortion, there is a real chance she could lose. That’s the big picture.
Mt Sinai must be run by pigs
Oh, you are actually waiting for me to answer that one?
So sorry, that’s for me to know, and for you to find out. :-D
These situations where we see Satan slamming a door in our face
could be seen as (as I do) the creation of “stepping stones to the reset button”.
From the Declaration - men will suffer injustice while it is sufferable, but when every act of a government evinces the object of reducing the people to a state of absolute despotism, it is the right and duty of the people to alter or abolish that government.
MrB, very interesting point. Thank you.
“that’s for me to know, and for you to find out”
And that’s what I was attempting to do.. but just what I figured...you have no guts!
You’re quick to “judge” the conviction of others’ faith but no conviction in your own faith.
You probably aren’t even a Catholic; much less a “practicing” or “devout Catholic.”
a devout RC might, if it’s the life of the mother........which she clearly decided it was not by the time she filed the law suit.
perhaps she was a lukewarm RC, and NOW a devout one....who knows, and furthermore does it really make a difference?
she obviously abhorred her participation and is suing to ensure it does not happen again. good for her.
Perhaps some med can calm you down?
If it was not obvious, I’ll make it clear now. I am passing on the baiting stuff just in case you didn’t realize.
Now I must make a neutral/harmless correction, which you guessed wrong. I am catholic.
We see the guilt of abortion set in after the fact, sometimes WAY after, with women who have them, why not with the people who participate?
She was not forced. She had the option of walking out and then suing or going elsewhere.
She stated her objections, they forced her participation......now it’s time for them to pay the piper. I hope she cleans out their bank accounts.
Catholic guilt is a fearful thing. God may well have allowed this to happen for her to lead the way to save the rest of us. Time will tell.
Way to take something out of context to get the result you want. I wasn't condemning the nurse (which it appears you think I am doing); rather I was making a statement about how hard it is to live a devout life.
we are all a work in progress.......God tests us in many ways.
and?
and perhaps God wants this lawsuit and the public airing of this to happen for His own reasons......
You got it right:
“Let’s stick to the issue; there are hospitals out there who are FORCING employees, against their will to engage in ABORTIONS or risk losing their jobs! ABORTIONS AND DEAD BABIES ARE THE ISSUE! Not how “devout” a Catholic a particular person is. “
“I was making a statement about how hard it is to live a devout life.”
Then you should have said that to begin with.
Rom 8:28?
Really, the only way I see this going against her is that she didn’t outright refuse and lose her job and suffer damage.
A Satanic inspired leftist judge will not recognize the damage done to her soul for participating in murder, so may rule that she has no case.
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