Pro-life Nurse Charges University with Violation of Rights
A lawsuit was filed last Wednesday charging a health services facility with discrimination against an employee's pro-life beliefs.
The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) filed a suit on behalf of Andrea Nead, a part-time nurse employed at the Health Services Department of Eastern Illinois University.
Nead has been working at the facility since 2000. In October 2004, Nead applied for a full-time position. During an interview, Nead was asked several questions regarding her willingness to dispense the morning-after pill, to which she replied that dispensing the drugs would be against her religious beliefs.
Nead was informed that the applicant who was eventually hired did not object to dispensing the morning-after pill. This prompted Nead to file a complaint arguing that she was denied a promotion because of her religious beliefs.
The lawsuit charges Eastern Illinois University's Board of Trustees and Health Services Director with violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments, the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Senior Counsel of the ACLJ, Francis J. Manion, will represent Nead in the case.
"It is not only wrong to deny an applicant a position based on her religious beliefs, it is a violation of the law," said Manion.
In the past few months, ACLJ and other legal organizations have filed lawsuits against an emergency rule issued by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich that mandated all pharmacists to dispense contraceptives regardless of their religious beliefs. Pro-life pharmacists contend that the rule violates their rights under the state's Health Care Right of Conscience Act.
"There appears to be a systematic pattern in place in the state of Illinois designed to punish pro-life health care professionals who merely want to fulfill their professional obligations without violating their religious beliefs," commented Manion.
"This hostility toward pro-life health care professionals is very troubling and we are confident that the court will uphold the constitutional rights of our client in this case," continued Manion.
