Hate Group Sues CVS Over Firing Of Clinic Nurse Who Refused To Dispense Contraceptives And Abortion Pills

The Christian Post reports:

A nurse practitioner in Virginia is suing CVS, alleging that the pharmacy chain illegally fired her for refusing to distribute contraceptives. The Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit Wednesday in the Virginia Circuit Court for the County of Prince William on behalf of Paige Casey. She worked as a nurse practitioner at several CVS MinuteClinic locations beginning in 2018.

The lawsuit contends that CVS wrongfully refused Casey’s request for an exemption to a policy requiring MinuteClinic staff to dispense contraception and abortion-inducing drugs and then fired her for not following the policy. Casey says the policy was contrary to her religious beliefs as a practicing Roman Catholic who believes that life begins at conception and that distributing such drugs is a grave sin.

The Washington Post reports:

Mike DeAngelis, CVS spokesperson, said in a statement that employees can submit requests to the company based on their religious beliefs. But employees cannot be exempt from aiding pregnancy prevention and safe sex practices, he said. “We cannot grant exemptions from these essential MinuteClinic functions,” he said.

Virginia law protects people from being required to participate in procedures that result in abortions based on moral, ethical and religious beliefs. The law does not explicitly mention hormonal contraceptives.

“We are entering some dangerous territory if corporations can fire someone for exercising their religious beliefs,” said Denise Harle, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom. “Tolerance goes two ways.”

Attorneys for Paige Casey said in a lawsuit filed in Prince William County Circuit Court that CVS, which owns MinuteClinic, exempted the nurse for more than 2½ years from prescribing certain contraceptive drugs or devices that cause an abortion. https://t.co/d3plUlNnXo

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 1, 2022