Hospital backs down. Thank God.

A LifeNews article reported on December 22, 2011 is extremely encouraging to me as a Catholic nurse. The story revolves around actions taken by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) hospital and twelve nurses who filed suit in response. Quoting from the article, 

The hospital notified members of the unit in September that they would undergo abortion training, which included participating in abortions, beginning on October 14. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order to halt the practice on November 3, but nurses say the hospital continued to pressure them to participate. “They said very clearly if we did not assist, we would face termination,” said Racpan Vinova. 

Physicians had told the nurses, “You just have to catch the baby’s head. Don’t worry; it’s already dead.”

The nurses – who held religious convictions that opposed abortion – filed suit in response, claiming that forcing them to participate in an abortion was in violation of the law. According to New Jersey state law, “No person shall be required to perform or assist in the performance of an abortion or sterilization.” Ultimately, the hospital agreed not to force these nurses to violate their religious beliefs by assisting in such a procedure. The nurses agreed to briefly assist in the event of a medical emergency until the arrival of nursing staff who do not object to assisting in an abortion. An attorney who represented the nurses states that the judge’s ruling also specifies that “the hospital cannot use pro-abortion staff to replace our clients or reduce their hours.”

If you’re interested in exploring the issue of conscience protections further, you may want to check out some earlier posts:
A few thoughts on health care reform
Freedom from religion
Religious freedom versus reproductive freedom
Should politicians heed the maxim, “To thine own self be true”?
Some of us are more free than others
A few thoughts on health care reform
Freedom from religion
Should politicians heed the maxim "to thine own self be true"?