PITTSBURGH, July 2 (LSN) – Nurse Laura Merriott was fired by Family Health Services of Erie and Crawford County for refusing to hand out abortifacient birth control pills and other contraceptives to non-married men and women. Merriott is fighting in court to get her job back, arguing she was fired “solely because of her sincerely held religious beliefs.” A retired U.S. Air Force major, Merriott’s Catholic faith led her to stop giving out the contraceptives. The clinic rejected her offer to continue to provide all the other services the clinic provided, including conducting gynecological examinations and prenatal exams, and screening for sexually transmitted diseases.
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