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Feds Say Hospital Illegally Made Nurses Help With Abortions
Law360 (December 16, 2020, 5:11 PM EST) Federal prosecutors slapped the University of Vermont Medical Center with a lawsuit Wednesday, claiming the hospital violated federal law by forcing objecting nurses to assist with abortions even though the procedure conflicts with their personal beliefs.
According to the complaint, which lists U.S. Department of Justice lawyers based in both Washington, D.C., and Vermont, the hospital ran afoul of the Church Amendments, which shield health care workers who won t take part in abortions due to religious beliefs or moral convictions from discrimination.
Joan Bruns Jean Baker and her mother, Joan Bruns, lived just 10 miles from one another, but they endured the pandemic apart. Baker s weekly visits to see Bruns at Elderwood at Burlington, the nursing home in the city s New North End, ended abruptly in March when such homes began indefinite lockdowns. During phone calls, Baker could hear the isolation wearing on her 87-year-old parent. Physically ailing but mentally very sharp, Bruns became increasingly lonely. Some days she refused to get out of bed, Baker said. Mother and daughter finally saw each other in August, when Bruns was briefly hospitalized. At the time, more frequent visits seemed on the horizon, as new COVID-19 cases remained low in Vermont. It was, instead, their last.
Justice Department sues Vermont medical centre over abortion
by Wilson Ring, The Associated Press
Posted Dec 16, 2020 6:07 pm EDT
Last Updated Dec 16, 2020 at 6:14 pm EDT
The U.S. Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit Wednesday against the University of Vermont Medical Center alleging it forces staff members who object to abortion on religious grounds to participate in abortion procedures.
The Vermont lawsuit alleges the Burlington hospital violated the Church Amendment, which prevents hospitals from discriminating against health care workers who refuse to perform or assist with abortions.
“No institution or person should force any health care provider to perform an abortion if doing so would violate the provider’s religious beliefs or moral convictions,” Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband, of the Civil Rights Division, said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. “This kind of indecent coercion violates everything this country stands for.”
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BENNINGTON â Southwestern Vermont Medical Center was expecting its first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to arrive on Tuesday, and plans to give the first doses to doctors and nurses who work directly with COVID-19 patients on Wednesday, the hospital announced.
The announcement came as an emergency department nurse at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington became the first person in the state to receive a vaccine against COVID-19.
âWe have been planning and preparing for the vaccinesâ arrival for many weeks, including purchasing an ultralow freezer to properly store the vaccine. We are ready to participate in Vermontâs phased plan to vaccinate our healthcare workforce and our region,â the hospitalâs president and CEO, Thomas Dee, and chief medical officer, Dr. Trey Dobson, said in a joint statement issued late Tuesday afternoon.