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Media Releases
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The nation's largest faith-based organization of
physicians today spoke out in opposition to the American Medical
Association's recent stance regarding forcing the filling of
prescriptions for drugs that can cause abortions. Christian Medical Association Associate Executive Director Gene Rudd, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist, noted, "The key issue here is not even the important question of the ethics of birth control, but the fundamental freedom to follow the dictates of one's conscience and of the teachings of one's religious faith." AMA policy makers last week passed a resolution calling on pharmacists to fill or help fill prescriptions for contraceptives such as the "morning-after pill". Some pharmacists conscientiously oppose participating in such prescriptions because of the drugs' post-fertilization effects--preventing an early embryo from implanting in the uterus. Dr. Rudd added, "Regardless of whether we would personally take that position, it is important to defend the rights of those who do. Instead of limiting the rights of healthcare professionals, true patient advocates should insist that contraceptive makers and marketers insure patient informed consent--by providing full information on the product so the patient realizes exactly what it does and what the risks are. Many women would be devastated to realize that so-called 'emergency contraception' can actually end early developing life. "There is simply no reason to trample over the consciences of pharmacists to fill these prescriptions. This is often framed as a matter of patient rights and access to healthcare when it in fact is an issue of patient convenience. Patient convenience is a good goal, but it cannot trump fundamental rights of conscience. It is clear that abortion advocates will not tolerate anyone who opposes their doctrine. It is ironic that while they appeal to principles of freedom of choice, abortion advocates are willing to eliminate the choice of those who hold opposing views. "What we are seeing in this country is a wholesale movement to deny healthcare professionals the right to follow their own consciences, especially in matters regarding reproduction. Mandating abortion training for New York City residents in training, forcing pharmacists to fill prescriptions that violate their consciences, and requiring faith-based organizations to violate their religious teachings are not only morally objectionable, they violate our constitutional freedoms of speech and religion. "History teaches us that denying the freedoms of one group is a threat to the constitutional freedoms of every one of us. As Martin Niemoller said of failing to oppose the Nazi regime, 'First they came for the Jews. I was silent. I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists. I was silent. I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists. I was silent. I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me. There was no one left to speak for me.'" To schedule an interview please contact Margie Shealy at (423) 844-1047 or by email at Margie.Shealy@cmda.org. |
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Louisiana nurse fired for refusal to administer “morning after” abortion pill
Alliance Defense Fund,
Covington, Louisiana USA
June 23, 2005, 11:34 AM (MST)
COVINGTON, La.—Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund have filed suit
against St. Tammany Parish Hospital for terminating the employment of a
nurse who refused to administer the “morning after” abortion pill. The suit
argues that the hospital’s actions violate the Louisiana Employment
Discrimination Law. ADF is America’s largest legal alliance defending religious liberty through strategy, training, funding, and litigation. ADF Media Relations | 480-444-0020 |
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Pro-life medical groups seek to defend right of conscience in California
Alliance Defense Fund,
San Francisco, California, USA
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June 17, 2005, 12:05 PM (MST) The
Alliance Defense Fund and
the Christian Legal Society filed a motion to
intervene Thursday in State of California v. United States of America
on behalf of California healthcare professionals to defend their right to
refuse to provide abortions and abortion referrals. Together, ADF, America’s largest legal alliance, and CLS, America’s
premier membership organization of Christian legal professionals, defend
religious liberty, human life, marriage, and the family. ADF Media Relations | 480-444-0020 |
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ACLJ Files Federal Suit Against Illinois School After Nurse Rejected for Promotion Because of Objection to Morning-After Pill
Urbana, IL – June 8, 2005
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The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which specializes in constitutional law, today filed a federal lawsuit against Eastern Illinois University after a nurse who was working at the University’s Health Services Department was not promoted because of her pro-life beliefs and her objection to dispensing the morning-after pill. “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, which is representing the nurse. “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. 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.” The ACLJ today filed suit in U.S. District Court in Urbana, Illinois on behalf of Andrea Nead, who has been employed as a part-time nurse at the Health Services Department of Eastern Illinois University since 2000. 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 violates her religious beliefs because she believes 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. The suit names as defendants the Board of Trustees of Eastern Illinois University and the Director of Health Services for the university. The suit contends that denying Nead the promotion violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The suit requests a trial by jury and unspecified damages. The suit comes just weeks after the ACLJ filed a lawsuit in state court challenging an amendment to the state code issued by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich that requires pharmacists to dispense medication even if filling the prescriptions violate their conscience and religious beliefs. The ACLJ represents six pharmacists in that case. The ACLJ has had success in protecting the rights of pro-life health care professionals in Illinois in the past. In 2003, the ACLJ filed a federal suit against the DeKalb County, Illinois Health Department on behalf of a health department employee who was denied a promotion because she expressed reluctance to participate in abortion counseling at the center. The case was resolved after an agreement was reached and the county paid $40,000 to settle the employee’s claims. Led by Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow, the ACLJ specializes in constitutional law and is based in Washington, D.C. -30- |
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AUL Files
Suit Against Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich Over Rule Requiring
Pharmacies to Dispense Morning-After Pill
CHICAGO, 8 June,2005
| Related Links ACLJ adds lawsuits |
For Immediate ReleaseContact
Today, Americans United for Life filed suit on
behalf of pharmacy owner Luke Vander Bleek of Morrison, Illinois against
Gov. Rod Blagojevich over his emergency rule issued April 1, 2005
requiring pharmacies to dispense contraceptives and abortifacient drugs
such as the morning-after pill "without delay."
The suit alleges in part that the Governor's emergency rule violates the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act by compelling pharmacy owners who do not want to carry drugs such as the morning-after pill that can cause abortions to act against its ethical and moral beliefs in dispensing such drugs. The suit also challenges the ability of the Governor to require health care providers to violate their conscience or choose another career. AUL attorneys believe that if the Governor's rule is allowed to stand, the rights of conscience of all health care providers in the state are in jeopardy. Edward R. Martin, Jr., attorney and director of the Center for the Rights of Conscience at Americans United for Life said, "Luke Vander Bleek is suing to protect his rights as an American—his right to build a business, contribute to society as a health care professional, and to live according to his principles. The Governor is trampling the rights of health care professionals and small business owners through his emergency rule." Martin continued, "This case seeks to defend the right of individuals to be free from the Governor's coercive and politically-motivated action. No longer can people like Luke Vander Bleek decide to not participate in an act they find to be morally objectionable without shuttering their business and changing careers." A copy of the complaint can be found at http://www.aul.org/ilroc/complaint.pdf For interviews, contact Daniel McConchie, Director of Public Relations and Public Policy at 847-840-5945, 312-492-7234 (w); Web: http://www.AUL.org. -30- Americans United for Life (AUL) is the leading public-interest law firm dedicated to providing legal expertise and strategy in the field of life-affirming legislation, litigation, and public education. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, AUL's fields of legal expertise include abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, destructive embryo research, and human cloning. |
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Alliance Defense Fund, Waukegon, Illinois, USA
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June 07, 2005, 10:57 AM (MST) WAUKEGAN,
Ill.—Albertsons Corporation has agreed to accommodate its pharmacists’ right
to refuse to fill prescriptions that violate their religious or moral
beliefs. The accommodation came on the heels of a lawsuit filed by
attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund and Christian Legal Society against
the employer and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on behalf of pharmacist David
Scimio. ADF Media Relations | 480-444-0020 |
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ACLJ Adds Pharmacists to Lawsuit Against Illinois Governor Challenging Order Requiring Pharmacists to Dispense Morning-After Pill
(Springfield, IL) – 26
May, 2005
| Related Links AUL files suit |
The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which
specializes in constitutional law, today filed an amended complaint in state
court in Illinois adding four additional pharmacists to its lawsuit
challenging Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s emergency amendment to the
state code requiring pharmacists to dispense medication even if filling the
prescriptions violate their conscience and religious beliefs. The ACLJ
initially filed suit in mid-April on behalf of two pharmacists and today’s
action brings the total to six pharmacists who contend the Governor’s order
is unenforceable. “The Governor’s directive continues to cause concern for a growing number of pharmacists who don’t believe they should have to put their religious beliefs aside to keep their jobs,” said Francis J. Manion, Senior Counsel of the ACLJ, which is representing the pharmacists. “The law is clear: pharmacists should not be punished for adhering to their religious beliefs. A growing number of pharmacists believe the Governor’s directive forces them to dispense abortion producing drugs – something that violates their deeply held religious beliefs. We’re hopeful that the court will recognize that the Governor’s directive is legally flawed and will move to protect the constitutional rights of pro-life pharmacists.” The ACLJ today filed an amended lawsuit in the Circuit Court of the Seventh Judicial Circuit in Springfield, Illinois adding the names of four pharmacists to the two plaintiffs represented in the April filing. The ACLJ already represents Peggy Pace, who works in Glen Carbon, and John Menges, who works in Collinsville. With today’s filing, the ACLJ also represents Gaylord Richard Quayle of Belleville, Amanda Varner of Carbondale, Jim Lynch who works in southern Illinois, and Michael Melvin who works in Carbondale. The lawsuit contends all six pharmacists are opposed to dispensing the morning-after pill and/or “Plan B” medication because of their religious, moral, and ethical beliefs. The pharmacists believe the drugs are abortion producing medications. The lawsuit contends that the Governor’s emergency amendment is unenforceable because it violates the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act which makes it unlawful for any public official to discriminate or punish any person who refuses to “participate in any way in any particular form of health care services contrary to his or her conscience.” The suit also charges the emergency amendment violates the Illinois Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Illinois Human Rights Act, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The suit requests the court grant an injunction preventing the measure from being enforced and asks the court to declare the directive unenforceable and null and void. The ACLJ also is defending a national law protecting health care workers from discrimination. The measure, which is being challenged in the federal courts, bars federal funds from going to federal or state programs that discriminate against health care professionals who do not participate in abortion services. The ACLJ represents members of Congress – including Representatives Henry Hyde (R-IL) and Dave Weldon, M.D. (R-FL), the sponsors of the measure. Led by Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow, the ACLJ specializes in constitutional law and is based in Washington, D.C. -30- |
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Senate
Committee to Hear Pharmacists Conscience Clause Bill
Convenience should not trump conscience, says
Pro-Life Wisconsin
16
May, 2005
| Related Links SB 155 |
PRO-LIFE WISCONSIN FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Matt Sande, Director of Legislative Affairs (262) 796-1111, (262) 352-0890 or info@prolifewisconsin.org The Senate Committee on Labor and Election Process Reform will hold a public hearing Tuesday, May 17 at the State Capitol highlighting legislation to provide much needed job security for pharmacists who conscientiously object to dispensing drugs that they believe would be used to cause death through abortion, euthanasia, or physician-assisted suicide. “No pharmacist should be forced to check his or her conscience at the workplace door,” said Matt Sande, legislative affairs director for Pro-Life Wisconsin. “Like doctors and nurses, pharmacists are valued members of the professional health care team. This bill simply recognizes that employers must not force pharmacists to participate in what they know to be the killing of another person. One person’s convenience should not trump another’s conscience.” Current Wisconsin law already protects health care employees, including physicians, nurses, and hospital employees, from being fired or otherwise discriminated against based on a conscientious refusal to participate in surgical abortion and sterilization. Senate Bill (SB) 155, authored by State Senator Tom Reynolds (R-West Allis), would extend that conscience protection to pharmacists who refuse to participate in chemical abortion and euthanasia. “Assaults on human life are increasingly chemical in nature, not surgical,” said Sande. “Abortion techniques focusing on chemical means to end the life of pre-born babies, such as the morning-after-pill, have received FDA approval. While abortion was formerly relegated to a clinical setting, it is now possible to receive life-ending drugs in a pharmacy, thus compelling pharmacists to be party to abortion. Just as a woman’s legal right to a surgical abortion should not compel a hospital to provide one, a woman’s legal right to abortifacient drugs and devices should not compel a pharmacist to dispense them.” Under SB 155, a licensed pharmacist cannot be required to dispense a prescribed drug or device if the pharmacist believes the drug or device will be used for causing an abortion or causing the death of any person, such as through assisted suicide or euthanasia. Specifically, pharmacists would be exempt from professional liability or disciplinary action and would be shielded from employment discrimination based on creed – including refusal to hire a pharmacist or termination of the pharmacist’s employment. The pharmacists conscience clause bill is the ONLY bill that protects pharmacists who conscientiously refuse to dispense the morning-after pill and other abortion-causing “hormonal contraceptives.” Opponents of Senate Bill 155 claim that it would ban birth control in Wisconsin. “This is not true,” said Sande. “Senate Bill 155 does not ban birth control. It will not make drugs such as the morning-after pill and other abortifacient birth control drugs illegal or unavailable. It is a labor protection bill, and thus reaches a middle ground where the pharmacist can be protected and the woman can access her prescription.”The issue of pharmacists being fired for conscientiously refusing to dispense abortion-causing birth control has received national and international attention. The BBC News, USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, CBS Evening News, and CNN, to name just a few media sources, have all reported on documented “real-life” cases in which pharmacists have been put in the position of either leaving their jobs or compromising their beliefs. “These attacks on pharmacists are an infringement on their free exercise of religion, and in the long run will serve only to aggravate the already acute shortage of qualified pharmacists by discouraging people of faith from entering the field,” said Peggy Hamill, state director of Pro-Life Wisconsin. "People who call themselves 'pro-choice' should especially appreciate the intent of this bill. Pharmacists should have the right to choose not to be complicit in the taking of innocent human life.” The pharmacists conscience clause bill is modeled after a South Dakota law enacted in 1998. Other states with specific and comprehensive pharmacist conscience clause laws include Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Many other states are actively considering this legislation including North Carolina, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, Texas, New York, Arizona and Washington. The public hearing on SB 155 will be held in Room 201 Southeast of the State Capitol Building in Madison at 11:00 a.m. -30-
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Illinois governor writes prescription for trouble, CLS and ADF file suit on
behalf of pharmacist
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April 15, 2005, 2:23 PM (MST) WAUKEGAN,
Ill.—The Christian Legal Society and Alliance Defense Fund filed suit today
against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on behalf of a Lake County
pharmacist. Blagojevich’s “emergency rule” filed this month compels
pharmacists to fill prescriptions for contraceptives, including
abortion-inducing drugs, regardless of any moral objections they may have.
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Wisconsin Pharmacist Punished for Exercising Religious Beliefs
| Related Links Police Used to Intimidate Objecting Pharmacist |
PRO-LIFE WISCONSIN FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: “Punishing a medical professional for exercising his deeply held religious convictions is wrong and is simply un-American. One person’s convenience should not trump another’s conscience. Not only is the Pharmacy Examining Board’s action an unconstitutional infringement on Neil Noesen’s free exercise of religion, it will serve only to aggravate the already acute shortage of pharmacists in this state by discouraging people of faith from entering the field. “In adopting Judge Baird’s recommendation, the Board clearly recognizes a pharmacist’s basic right to conscientiously object to dispensing drugs that he or she may find morally objectionable. Recognizing this basic right, however, the Board then reprimands Noesen and places the burden on him to ensure that his patients receive their medication. This is confusing. It should be the responsibility of the pharmacy employer – not the pharmacist – to accommodate a pharmacist’s conscientious objection. Noesen’s case should therefore be dismissed. The Noesen case is entirely about conscience and religious freedom. No one in the case – the prosecution, the defense, or the judge – has disputed Noesen’s basic right to a conscientious objection. The only ones disputing it are Planned Parenthood, Inc. and NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin. Why, then, is the Board punishing Noesen? The question being raised is: How did Noesen go about exercising his conscientious objection? The Board is contending he did it inappropriately. But there is nothing in the law pointing to how to do it appropriately. There is no state law, code or regulation that governs how a pharmacist is to exercise his or her conscientious objection. So how can Noesen be charged with a violation of conduct when the Board cannot point to any protocols he specifically violated? Noesen’s case highlights the critical need for passage of the Pharmacists’ Conscience Clause Bill. Current law already protects health care employees from being fired or otherwise discriminated against based on a conscientious refusal to participate in surgical abortion and sterilization. The pharmacists’ conscience clause bill would extend that conscience protection to pharmacists who refuse to participate in chemical abortion and euthanasia. The morning-after pill – which is simply a double dosage of the typical birth control pill – and other hormonal ‘contraceptives’ will often act to cause early chemical abortion by preventing a newly conceived child (human embryo) from implanting in the womb. No pharmacist should be forced to daily check his or her conscience at the workplace door. Just as a woman’s legal right to surgical abortion does not compel a hospital to provide one, a woman’s legal right to abortion-causing drugs should not compel a pharmacist to dispense them. The bill will not ban drugs such as the morning-after pill and the birth control pill. It simply recognizes that employers cannot force pharmacists to directly participate in what they know to be the killing of another person. It thereby reaches a middle ground where the pharmacist can be protected and the woman can access her prescription. -30- |
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ACLJ Files Suit Against
Illinois Governor Over Directive
Discriminating Against Pro-Life Pharmacists
(Springfield, IL) – 13 April, 2005
| Related Links Stephens Opposes |
The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which specializes in constitutional law, today filed a lawsuit in state court in Illinois on behalf of two pharmacists challenging Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s emergency amendment to the state code requiring pharmacists to dispense medication even if filling the prescriptions violate their conscience and religious beliefs. The ACLJ lawsuit charges that the Governor’s order is unenforceable and urges the court to declare it null and void because it violates state law including the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act. “This directive is not only legally flawed but it puts pharmacists in the untenable position of having to choose between adhering to their religious beliefs and violating a law that could cost them their jobs,” said Francis J. Manion, Senior Counsel of the ACLJ, which is representing the two pharmacists. “There are protections in place to prevent employees from being punished because of their religious beliefs. The Governor’s directive is out of step with state law and we are urging the court to issue an injunction that would block the enforcement of this directive and ultimately declare the Governor’s action null and void.” The ACLJ today filed suit in the Circuit Court of the Seventh Judicial Circuit in Springfield, Illinois on behalf of Peggy Pace and John Menges, two registered pharmacists who will not dispense the morning-after pill and/or “Plan B” medication because of their religious, moral, and ethical beliefs. Both Pace and Menges believe the drugs are abortion producing medications. Pace is a staff pharmacist at a retail chain in Glen Carbon and Menges works as a staff pharmacist at a retail chain in Collinsville. The lawsuit contends that the Governor’s emergency amendment is unenforceable because it violates the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act which makes it unlawful for any public official to discriminate or punish any person who refuses to “participate in any way in any particular form of health care services contrary to his or her conscience.” The suit also charges the emergency amendment violates the Illinois Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Illinois Human Rights Act, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The suit requests the court grant an injunction preventing the measure from being enforced and asks the court to declare the directive unenforceable and null and void. “The religious beliefs of those in the health care industry must be protected,” said Manion. “The pro-life pharmacist who chooses not to dispense abortion producing drugs should not face punishment and discrimination for abiding by those convictions.” The ACLJ, which specializes in pro-life litigation, is defending a national law protecting health care workers from discrimination. The measure, which is being challenged in the federal courts, bars federal funds from going to federal or state programs that discriminate against health care professionals who do not participate in abortion services. The ACLJ represents members of Congress – including Representatives Henry Hyde (R-IL) and Dave Weldon, M.D. (R-FL), the sponsors of the measure. Led by Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow, the ACLJ specializes in constitutional law and is based in Washington, D.C.
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Rep. Stephens Opposes Governor’s Executive Order to Fill Contraceptive
Prescriptions
5
April, 2005
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Related Links ACLJ Files Suit |
For Immediate Release “Previously, it has been our understanding as a matter of conscious or religious convictions, pharmacists are included in the conscience clause and may opt out of filling contraceptives,” said Stephens. “Now the governor is excluding all medical professionals except physicians from this clause, infringing on our right to practice our beliefs.” The reaction from Rep. Stephens, a local pharmacist, came after the governor issued an executive order which requires all pharmacists to fill contraceptives including the morning-after pill. Stephens said he refuses to sit idly by and let the governor dictate the beliefs of all Illinois citizens. “Apparently the governor now believes he has the power to override all matters of religious conviction,” said Stephens. “He is setting a precedence that is harmful to our personal and religious rights as citizens of this country. He must be stopped.” Rep. Stephens said he plans to contest the executive order and will continue to fight the governor’s threat to revoke the license of those who don’t comply. “I refuse to give in to the governor’s demands without a fight and thousands of my colleagues join me in my efforts,” said Stephens. “On matters of conscience, I trust my own beliefs…not the governor’s,” Stephens said.
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July-December 2005 |
July-December 2004 |