A former nurse practitioner for CVS says the pharmacy giant illegally fired her when she refused to distribute contraceptives.
According to The Christian Post, the Alliance Defending Freedom has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the woman, Paige Casey. The lawsuit was filed in the Virginia Court for the County of Prince William.
Casey worked as a nurse practitioner at several CVS MinuteClinic locations in northern Virginia beginning in 2018.
Casey said she requested an exemption to a policy that required MinuteClinic staff to dispense contraception and abortion-inducing drugs. She said the company refused her request and then fired her.
She said she is a practicing Roman Catholic, and the policy was against her religious beliefs.
Previously, Casey was granted an exemption to the policy. But, in August 2021, she said, the company announced that it would "no longer accommodate employees with religious convictions against prescribing abortifacients, hormonal contraceptives, and other forms of birth control that can cause abortions."
She resubmitted her request for an exemption anyway in December 2021. Her request was rejected in March 2022, and she was fired that same month.
The complaint says MinuteClinic's actions violated Virginia state law, particularly the state's Conscience Clause. The Conscience Clause notes that an employee of a medical facility cannot be fired or disciplined if they "state in writing an objection to any abortion or all abortions on personal, ethical, moral or religious grounds."
"Corporations like CVS cannot defy the law by firing professionals who want to work consistently with their faith," ADF Senior Counsel Denise Harle said in a statement.
"Paige had a spotless record of caring for patients, yet CVS decided to abruptly fire her, solely because of her religious belief that life begins at conception. Virginia law protects the freedom of everyone to work without fear of being fired for their religious beliefs prohibiting participation in abortion."
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Justin Sullivan/Staff
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
