Nurse practitioner claims CVS fired her in excess of abortion stance | Wellness & Exercise

In the lawsuit, Paige Casey reported CVS experienced for many years granted her a religious lodging that authorized her to opt out of prescribing or delivering the medication and sure contraceptives with out incident.

Very last year, although, she states the firm changed its coverage and stopped giving these accommodations.

Casey — who worked for MinuteClinic since 2018, generally at a facility in Alexandria — appealed to the organization, expressing her Catholic faith teaches her that lifetime commences at conception and she could not provide care in violation of that basic principle.

She claims she was fired in late March, the very same day she emailed organization officers to reiterate her objections.

Alliance Defending Freedom, a nonprofit lawful group led by conservative Christian Michael Farris, is representing Casey and says Virginia regulation explicitly bars employers from having disciplinary action in opposition to staff who object to abortion on moral or religious grounds.

“Every American ought to have the flexibility to operate according to their moral and religious beliefs,” ADF lawyer, Kevin Theriot, who is symbolizing Casey, mentioned in a cellphone interview.

Michael DeAngelis, a spokesman for Woonsocket, Rhode Island-dependent CVS, claimed the firm attempts to accommodate religious beliefs, but said sexual health and fitness expert services are an vital component of the job at MinuteClinics.

“It is not possible … to grant an lodging that exempts an staff from accomplishing the crucial capabilities of their occupation,” he explained in a created assertion. “We can not grant exemptions from these important MinuteClinic capabilities.”

Theriot mentioned there is incredibly small situation regulation less than the Virginia statute, in part simply because “very almost never do companies just arrive out and hearth any individual simply because of their religious convictions.”

But he mentioned most states offer very similar protections, and federal regulation delivers protection as properly.

Individuals who wanted beginning control or abortion medications not delivered by Casey could simply just program or be served by other practitioners in the MinuteClinic community, Theriot claimed. And that labored seamlessly until finally CVS adjusted its plan, Theriot stated.

“CVS created a issue exactly where none existed,” he claimed.

The lawsuit was filed in Prince William County Circuit Court docket.