(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) A nurse practitioner has filed a lawsuit against CVS Health, claiming she was fired over her unwillingness to provide abortion-inducing drugs to customers at the store’s facilities—an action which would be against her Catholic faith.
According to the Washington Examiner, Paige Casey said she was fired after putting in three years at the company, where she was granted religious exemptions from administering abortive drugs.
Earlier this hear, however, CVS altered its policies and no longer allowed accommodations for employees with religious beliefs.
“Paige had a spotless record of caring for patients, yet CVS decided to abruptly fire her, solely because of her religious belief that life begins at conception,” said Denise Harle, director of the Alliance Defending Freedom Center for Life, a nonprofit legal group representing Casey.
“Virginia law protects the freedom of everyone to work without fear of being fired for their religious beliefs prohibiting participation in abortion.”
Casey’s primary workplace was at a MinuteClinic in Alexandria, Virginia.
She claims that she was fired in March, on the same day she appealed to her supervisors over her qualms about the policy change.
The lawsuit argued that CVS Health violated Virginia’s conscience clause, which prevents employers from requiring employees participate in procedures that will result in abortion, if they provide a written statement with “personal, ethical, moral or religious” objections.
A spokesman for CVS, Mike DeAngelis, said that while the company attempts to accommodate employee’s religious beliefs, they also believe that these services are essential functions of health care providers.
“As we continue to enhance our MinuteClinic services, educating and treating patients regarding sexual health matters—including pregnancy prevention, sexually transmitted infection prevention, screening and treatment, and safer sex practices—have become essential job functions of our providers and nurses,” DeAngelis said. “We cannot grant exemptions from these essential MinuteClinic functions.”
Casey is seeking $100,000 in damages for lost wages, along with other monetary awards for legal fees.
