URBANA, Illinois, June 10, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A nurse who had worked part-time for 4 years is suing the Eastern Illinois University’s Health Services Department for denying her a full-time position after she told the employer that she would not dispense the morning-after pill because it violates her religious beliefs.
The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) filed a federal lawsuit against Eastern Illinois University Wednesday, on behalf of Andrea Nead, the nurse who has worked part-time in the department since 2000. “It is not only wrong to deny an applicant a position based on her religious beliefs, it is a violation of the law,” said Francis J. Manion, Senior Counsel of the ACLJ.
When a full-time position became available in October 2004, Nead applied for the promotion. She was asked a number of questions including whether she would be willing to dispense the morning-after pill. Nead told the interviewer that the morning-after pill violated her religious beliefs because she believed it is a form of abortion by preventing a newly conceived human life from implanting to the uterine wall.
The complaint contends that the interviewer told Nead that another applicant – who eventually was hired for the position – did not oppose dispensing the morning-after pill. The complaint contends that the decision not to hire Nead was based on her religious beliefs regarding the morality of dispensing the morning-after pill.
“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,” Manion said. “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.”
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